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Oliver Duke of Tanas: The first thing I notice when skimming through this initially is that massive down special – is that necessary? You have a lot of information there, but most of the units used are only briefly described, having a few deeply interesting ones would be better. Whilst on design choices, having everything in pink and purple isn’t a good idea, leave that to the headers or one / two specifics. One thing I do find remarkable is how you even made a moveset for someone like this, who comes across to me as Generic FE General… Who Is Fat.
Speaking of generals, this one’s a bit generic in places, but honestly – who is this character? I don’t remember him and I’m pretty sure I played his game. That may be why his attacks are a little iffy in points, but you also need to be a bit more imaginative with some of these. Summoning units is an interesting idea indeed, though – look back at Thrall to see a very interesting RTS-inspired mechanic centred on this. If Oliver was based around that [his down special is indeed massive] it would be greatly superior, I sense.
Well I must thank you for even reading my moveset.
Hm I should edit some units out and have the remaining ones seem a little more interesting (and useful for that matter)
Also looking back your right about the choice of text color and some of the moves. I will go back and start editing to make it easier to look at and edit some moves.
Yeah, I know it's bad; I didn't make it with the intention of pleasing people or making them laugh, or winning the award for best joke set (although that would be nice), I just...
Isn't that a fantastic smiley? Conveys congratulations and friendliness and general satisfaction all at once. I'm going to start using more smileys beyond the meager selection here.
Daroach: I’ll start by saying this is a massive improvement for you over Magmortar, you’re an entirely different MYMer in my eyes. It isn’t as good as the old moveset by one of the best MYMers, but that is not to say it is at all bad.
Each move is well detailed and most aren’t generic, but you have a way of falling into that old boot. Clawing with appendages or throwing projectiles of different types is hardly enthralling – if you are going to include moves like that, it is fine if you make a point of having them add to the playstyle. Simply having moves there that are filling doesn’t help at all. Aside from that, I enjoyed some of the variables in the moves and am impressed that you are trying at playstyles now; you need to remember that this affects the entire moveset, though. I look forward to “The Sim,” even if it is something I would never attempt.
Well, Bomb and Triple Star were two of Daroach's whopping three attack moves in the original game. I guess I still need to understand playstyle writing though, I thought I had put a section on dropping Triple Star and Bombs from the air to control your opponents movements, taking advantage of your versatile recovery and great air game to chip away at the opponent. Ah well though, I'm still improving. I can only hope my next set will be that much better than Daroach.
As for THE SIM, its starting to look like too much set for me. Got all the specials down, a fantastic dair, Dsmash, and Usmash, but implementation of the mood system and the phone call Nspecial has been pretty tough so far. I'll figure it out though, but it may be a week or two before its actually posted.
Thanks for the commentary though, I thought for sure I'd never hear another word on Daroach.
Shiki Tohno: Firstly your amount of pictures and sense of appropriate photo-generosity is, whilst mixed, impressive. You have a very mixed bag in this moveset, you go from one extreme to the next in detail and quality. It’s therefore pretty confusing to read and I’m not a good judge of it as a non-fan of its series, but it seems okay. Definitely work on evening out all the variables for your next try.
Didn't think anyone would actually take the time to read it actually!
Thanks for your comments tough, makes me realize just how long it's been since the last time I did this. There's only so much you can do, with a guy who can move fast and cut stuff with a knife, eh? But when I read the rest of the movesets here, I get the feeling that my vision is too narrow to do justice to him. There's some crazy stuff around these parts, doing things beyond what I thought were the limits of Brawl. It's bloody awesome.
Yeah, I couldn't even come up with names for the more generic moves. Not enough words to describe badassery.
Did you think the final smash was serious though?
Now for some comments of my own.
Bison
Good. But still not enough PSYCHO POWER!!!
Should be more like this:
PSYCHO END OF COMMENT!!!
(PSYCHO P.S: I wish to pay you in Bison Dollars for your homage to our Dictator. They are worth 5 British pounds you know.)
The Engineer
As a Spy player, I am appalled by your treatment of spies. First, we would not attack before sapping ur sentries! Second, we would take down the Engineer, all turrets, and anyone standing close, in no more time than it would take to lay with your mother! (not long). You are describing the most newbish of spies sir, and I shall not tolerate it!
As a TF2 player, I adore your moveset and its details. I love it as I do your mother. Ahh, my petite la fleur...
Oliver
I killed him in Path of Radiance, so why is back!?!?! I Astra-ed the fool with swordmaster Mia using Vatti Katti. She had max skill and str! All five hits were crits! They should still be gluing him back together, in whatever they call the underworld in Tellius!
But anyway, impressive moveset. I especially enjoyed how you put a description for every unit type. The "beauty" mechanic scares me though.
The mani thing I would say I didn't like is how underpowered he is. A lot of moves take a second in lag. A Falcon Punch has less than a second of startup lag, and I'm pretty sure that the Engineer is not pulling off OHKOs with every one of his attacks.
The Engineer: Awesome. He was always my favourite TF2 class and I did have thoughts of how his moveset would work, this is the obvious one. You really go as far as to show just why he’s so awesome and fun to play, which you also translate well over to here. One thing, though – MASSIVE EFFING FONT much? It’s a nice-looking set bar that, your use of imagery is apt and I admire how approachable this moveset really is. Enjoyable read, Baron and I hope it isn’t your last.
The Engineer
As a Spy player, I am appalled by your treatment of spies. First, we would not attack before sapping ur sentries! Second, we would take down the Engineer, all turrets, and anyone standing close, in no more time than it would take to lay with your mother! (not long). You are describing the most newbish of spies sir, and I shall not tolerate it!
Wow, I got some catching up to do already. I look forward to reading that Jade moveset. Is there a compilation site you guys put these on? I lost it awhile ago.
I am finishing on the moveset I never did from the LAST contest. Hope that is ok.
Wow, I got some catching up to do already. I look forward to reading that Jade moveset. Is there a compilation site you guys put these on? I lost it awhile ago.
I am finishing on the moveset I never did from the LAST contest. Hope that is ok.
Yup. I have a set on the first page with all the requirements met, though I'm slowly updating it with plenty of extras, and editing some of the more boring moves.
Wart is the main villain and final boss of Super Mario Bros. 2. He is an overweight frog king, who wears a golden cape and crown to show off his royal status. Using his nightmarish army of monsters, Wart conquered the dream land known as Subcon and imprisoned its citizens in a corked pipe. After being called to help Subcon in a dream, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad find the entrance to this strange land in a cave and set off on a quest to save Subcon. After a long and perilous adventure, the quartet defeat Wart by force-feeding him his main weakness: vegetables. The citizens of Subcon are then freed and Wart is sent packing. Although he hasn't been seen in a game since, he is still remembered as a classic Mario character and a cool villain.
Also of note, Wart first appeared in the original form of Super Mario Bros. 2, a challenging game known as Doki Doki Panic. Here, Wart conquered the land inside a story-book, kidnapping two children from the outside world in the process. In response, an Arabian family consisting of Papa, Mama, Imajin, and Lina, set off to free the children and the unnamed story-book world from Wart's slimy reign of terror.
There you go, MT...I addressed it
STATS
Power: 8/10
Wart doesn't lean towards being a powerhouse as much as some other heavyweights; he's still got a bunch of damaging KO moves, but his style has quite a bit more finesse, due to his royalty.
Walking Speed: 1.5/10
A pathetically slow and lazy walk...Wart just doesn't give speed his full effort.
Dashing Speed: 3.5/10
Wart has quite a bit of trouble keeping up with the rest of the Brawlers. These walking and dashing speeds are on the same scale, by the way.
Weight: 7.5/10
While bordering on being a heavyweight, Wart is less substantial and muscly than the other heavy-hitters. Don't overestimate this stat, or you'll be in trouble!
Range: 7.5/10
While Wart's stronger moves hit at a closer range, he has quite a few projectiles that buff this stat up a bit. It's a matter of mastering how to hit foes with them.
Projectile Distance: 6.5/10
While Wart's projectiles have strange movement patterns, they can still travel a fair distance.
Attack Speed: 3.5/10
Wart has fair speed for a heavyweight, but that's still not saying much.
Priority: 7.5/10
Wart can cut through quite a few attacks with his strong moves, but he's not on par with some of the stronger heavyweights in this respect.
Size: 8.5/10
Quite a feast of combo food, if you will. Wart is about as wide as Dedede, but a tiny bit shorter, due to having a smaller crown.
First Jump: 6/10
Surprise! Wart is a frog, so it's naturally he'd have decent jumping abilities. Of note, this jump can be controlled in one direction with much ease.
Second Jump: 5.5/10
A slightly lower jump than Wart performs off the ground. Still, he's pretty jumpy for a heavyweight.
Aerial DI: 6.5/10
Wart can actually maneuver around several attacks...if his full bulk isn't caught in them initially, that is.
Fall Speed: 4.5/10
Wart is quite a bit floatier than is normal for a character his size; he can drop like a rock if you fast-fall, but otherwise, this stat is below average.
Recovery: 5/10
Wart has good jumps and a long-distanced recovery. The main problem he has that keeps this stat average is his predictability and gimpability.
Traction: 6/10
While Wart has a horrible top speed, not getting much momentum at all, his slippery big feet still get in his way a lot, causing him to trip and slide at times.
Crouch: 1.5/10
Horrible; Wart doesn't really crouch, even. It's just an extra pose of his.
Comboability: 5.5/10
Wart is actually *gasp* a more combo-oriented heavyweight. However, he's still a powerhouse, so he doesn't rely on combos entirely; he's more of a well-rounded powerhouse like Donkey Kong.
Wall Jump: Yes, surprisingly enough; Wart bounds off the wall in a bouncy manner.
Wall Cling: Yes; like a Tree Frog, Wart uses his sticky hand pads to cling to the wall. However, he can't hang on as long as the other clingers.
Crawling: No
Gliding: No
Tether: Yes
BASIC ANIMATIONS
Standard Pose:
Wart stands in a lazy pose, holding his clawed hands in fists at his robed sides. He sports a cocky grin, squinting around the stage with his froggy eyes.
As a little side note, if you distort the camera angle to behind Wart, up close, you can see that he's a horned frog, as his lumpy buttocks are concealed by his robes. Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom references for the win!
Idle Pose
Wart chuckles quietly to himself, as he takes his crown off his head and shines it squeakily with his robes, before putting it back on his head contentedly.
Walking:
Not even moving his body, Wart simply takes tiny steps forward at a slow pace, like his sprites shown in these moveset headers. He does this with his eyes closed, as well. That must take some serious practice!
Running:
Wart copies the above animation, just slightly faster. He also opens his eyes here.
Dashing:
Wart simply bumps his small steps up to small strides forward, slowly pumping his arms. What a lazy fatso!
Jump #1:
Wart crouches down slightly, putting his hands down so as to be on all fours, then springs upwards with impressive force. Wart's startup here makes his short-hopping a bit slow to start up, but effective when done correctly.
Jump #2:
Wart repeats the above animation, but kicking down more with his legs, while bending his hands down less.
Crouching:
Wart doesn't really crouch even; he merely places a simple story-book on the ground and bends over slightly, peering evilly at it. Nothing but a set-up for his Down Tilt, which you can read for more detail. Never try using this to dodge attacks.
Ledge-Hanging:
Wart clings to the ledge with one hand, digging his claws into the stage for extra support.
Swimming:
Wart makes a discomforted noise as he resurfaces. Those were his best kingly robes! Anyways, he swims at a fairly fast speed for a heavyweight, breast-stroking his way around. Despite his frog-side being used to the water, Wart's robes quickly fill with water and sink him, so only swim if necessary.
Forward Roll:
Like Dedede, Wart merely spins around in a circle, traveling forward at a surprising pace.
Backward Roll:
Wart simply holds his clawed hands in front of him, shielding his precious body as he slides backwards.
Spot Dodge:
Wart simply hops into the background, his evil grin widening slightly, before stepping back.
Air Dodge:
Wart sticks his hands out to the side and spins around strangely. Looks like all that defense is getting to his head!
Shield:
Wart turns his head to the side, folding his arms deviously, as the standard bubble shield forms around him.
Tripped:
Wart's eyes widen as he collapses hard on his buttocks. Kings aren't supposed to trip!
Dizzy:
Wart squints his bulging eyes, stumbling around in place, holding his crown to his head. Occasionally, he'll let out an odd grunt, as if he had just eaten something gross.
Sleeping:
Wart merely folds his arms in place, as his head nods to the size, sliding his crown onto the floor. After dozing off, he quickly and angrily puts his crown back in its place as he straightens up again.
SPECIALS
Neutral Special - Blowing Bubbles
Wart's most basic projectile and his only boss attack. It's mandatory to have this here. Wart opens his mouth for a brief startup period, then shoots out a Soccer Ball-sized bubble with a croak. Wart can shoot the bubbles out about as fast as Pikachu can use his Neutral Special. The bubbles travel in the same bouncy formation that Pikachu's electricity does as well, just twice as slow. They also have the potential to move twice as far as this electricity, although they don't wrap around platforms. Bubbles have average priority, and make bouncy noises as they move around. Foes hit by bubbles take 7% and average knockback, meaning you probably won't chain multiple bubble hits like lasers.
As his main projectile, Wart can use bubbles in a number of situations. First of all, they can diffuse any projectile in the game, just like in SMB2. They can be used to KO enemies at high damage levels, but this is not likely in most cases. Bubbles travel in a diagonal line down when blown off the edge, so they can be nice for gimping. Finally, they can be used as an alternate throw for Wart. The main problem this move has is its awkward movement. You'll be using this move a lot, so make sure you know where it can be used effectively.
Side Special - Poison Dart Frog
Wart's secondary projectile, used by poisonous frogs all over the world. Wart opens his mouth and coughs out a green blob of poison. Wart has above average startup lag here, but very minor lag ending. The blob is about the size of a Deku Nut, meaning it is quite small indeed. The blob travels in a straight line from Wart's mouth, at the speed of Meta Knight's dash. Its maximum range is half of Final Destination, before vanishing. Because of the moderate priority, foes will need stronger ground attacks to beat the 'dart'.
Foes hit by the dart take 4% and a brief stun initially. However, they become poisoned; the poison time depends on how far the blob traveled before connecting. If it hits a foe in close succession to being fired, they take poison damage for three seconds (1-2% per second). However, if they hit it near maximum range, foes can be poisoned for up to ten seconds. Wart has no limit to the number of blobs he can spit out, but he can't just abuse this, due to the punishable startup lag. Spacing is vital to landing this damage-builder.
Down Special - Royal Subjects
Here, Wart shows his lazy side and calls a minion to take care of his foes for him. Wart quickly whistles and snaps his fingers. This causes a single enemy from Super Mario Bros. 2 to spawn at Wart's feet. Each enemy is unique, and has a certain chance of appearing. There is moderate startup and ending lag to call out an enemy, meaning it cannot just be spammed.
Wart can have up to two enemies out at a time, each of them lasting fifteen seconds before vanishing. Enemies have their own unique HP which can be lowered by any character (even Wart) to KO them. Also, some enemies have their own unique effect on Wart's B-Air when swallowed by said move. Finally, the enemies that can be swallowed each heal a different amount of Wart's damage when digested. Read on to find out each of the properties of the five enemies.
Shy Guy
These little blighters were the most common SMB2 enemies; it's only natural Wart can call them out here. When spawned, Shy Guys slowly stumble around at Bowser's walking speed. They have 15 HP, being the weakest enemy Wart can call out. Shy Guys appear 45% of the time for this move. They are the size of Olimar, so they're a fairly small target. Shy Guys have stupid AI, walking off cliffs, just like in their games. They have two attacks they can perform on attackers.
The first attack is a simple trip. With little warning, Shy Guy collapses on its face with a grunt. This has low priority, and deals 5-6% with low knockback. Shy Guy stays down for a second after tripping, however, so it is quite punishable here. For the second attack, Shy Guy takes a small red pitchfork and jabs it forward in front of it. This move has half the priority and range of Shield Breaker, but the same speed and knockback. Getting poked gives foes 7-9%, but does not break shields. Decent for building damage, but not much else.
When digested, Shy Guys heal a mere 10% to Wart, due to being so common. Also, when used for a B-Air, Wart spits out the Shy Guy's mask behind him. He spits it out quickly, but has fair ending and landing lag. The mask extends almost a Stage Builder block's distance; it is as tall as Kirby, but flat. Foes can easily penetrate the mask's low priority. However, if they are hit by it, they take 8% and are turned around, as if hit by Mario's Cape. This can be used to gimp foes who would barely make the ledge. Also, when used from a short-hop, this can reflect projectiles, like the Cape. Wart can use this effect three times per swallowed Shy Guy.
Ninji
Ninjis are jumpy star-shaped ninja creatures that reside in dark caverns. Here, they run along the stage at Mario's dashing speed. Ninjis have decent AI (smarter than that of Shy Guys), but still run off cliffs. They have 20 HP, and appear slightly less often than Shy Guys (30% of the time, to be precise). Ninjis are about the size of Squirtle. Ninjis perform no real attacks, but if you touch them, you take 9-10% and below average knockback. Ninjis also jump occasionally while running, covering a Stage Builder block's distance; their maximum jump distance is Mario's height. Ninjis aren't the most reliable attackers, but because of their speed, it isn't rare to see an opponent hit one.
When digested, Ninjis heal Wart of 15%. For his B-Air with a swallowed Ninji, Wart spits out a black ninja star. The star is slightly smaller than the ones Dedede spits for his Neutral Special. The star barely leaves Wart's mouth, hitting at close range. It also comes out with moderate startup and ending lag. However, it has above average priority; hitting it deals 12-13% and fair knockback to foes. It's nice to have a consistent damage-dealing B-Air with this, but Wart can only use it twice per Ninji. It also has dangerous landing lag, so take care to stay airborne when spitting a star.
Snifit
Snifits are Shy Guy-esque creatures, who wear masks that fire Nightmare Bullets. Here, they are exactly the same size as a Shy Guy. However, Snifits merely stand in place, facing the direction of the nearest opponent. They have 25 HP, and appear 15% of the time. Every three seconds, the Snifit fires a barrage of three bullets forward. The bullets are Deku Nut-sized, and are fired back to back rapidly. They travel half of Final Destination at Fox's dashing speed before vanishing. These projectiles have average priority, and deal 4% and a slight stun each.
When digested, Snifits heal Wart of 20%, which is pretty good here. When Wart uses his B-Air with a Snifit swallowed, he spits out three Nightmare Bullets as well. These bullets have exactly the same properties as they do above. However, Wart spits them at a diagonal downwards angle behind him. Because of this, you'll have to be above your foe to hit them with the brunt of the attack. Wart also has below average startup and ending lag here, not present with Snifits. A nice damage-builder, but it can be punished if Wart is careless. He can spit three rounds of three bullets per Snifit.
Panser
These hostile plants appear commonly in SMB2, launching fireballs at Mario and friends. Here, Pansers are the size of Yoshi, being the largest enemy that can be summoned. They appear 5% of the time, and have a whopping 35 HP. Pansers slowly creep side to side at Ganondorf's dashing speed. They are smart, and never walk off cliffs. Pansers are great for damage-dealing and KOing, so it's a good thing they appear so rarely.
Every second, the Panser shoots a fireball two Ganondorfs into the air. The fireball is Kirby-sized, and has high priority. It travels at Meta Knight's dashing speed, vanishing at maximum range. Pansers shoot these rather rapidly; if you are unfortunate enough to hit one, you take 14-15% and high knockback. What's more is that Pansers themselves become a hitbox when shooting fireballs, so stay away and attack with projectiles!
When swallowed, Wart gets a comical look on his face. If he actually manages to digest a Panser, Wart heals himself 50%. What the hell? Well, when he has a fiery Panser in his belly, attacks that hit his stomach deal two times the damage, meaning he'll probably never heal like this. He'll want to spit it up with U-Air after using the Panser for his B-Air.
Speaking of which, Pansers allow Wart to spit out flames for his B-Air, Superspicy Curry-style. The flames last for three seconds, angled behind Wart. The properties are the same as with the item, being able to deal around 30% if Wart lands all the hits. He can also land mid-move to use the flames on the ground, facing forward. Wart has fair startup and ending lag, however, so foes can get the hell out of the way and punish with a projectile. This can only be used once per Panser.
Porcupo
Porcupos are rare little hedgehogs that appear rarely in SMB2. Here, they are Diddy's size, and walk around at Mario's walking speed. Porcupos have 30 HP, and appear 5% of the time. Unlike Pansers, the other rare enemy, Porcupos are not exceptional at damage-dealing or KOing. If you hit a Porcupo's spiny back, you take 16-17% and above average knockback. However, most characters can attack their head area to eliminate them with little problem (the spines have high priority, however). Also, because of their spines, Wart cannot swallow or digest a Porcupo. Not the best enemy to receive, although they can cause havoc in FFAs.
Up Special - Magic Carpet
Here, Wart puts his personal Magic Carpet to good use as a recovery. With no startup lag, Wart sits down on his carpet and begins flying. The carpet can be flown at Ganondorf's dashing speed in any direction; it flies for two seconds, before vanishing and leaving Wart helpless. Wart can attack from the carpet to defend himself, as being attacked mid-flight results in him falling with no extra jumps.
Wart can press L or R to hop off the carpet early; he'll need to do this, as the carpet doesn't sweetspot edges. The carpet is the length of a Stage Builder block, but Wart can only sit in place on it, rather than moving. In addition, any attacks of his that hit the carpet cause it to vanish early (Down Smash, for example). Do not hinder yourself like this; use Neutral Special or Side Special for best defense while recovering.
One more trick Wart can perform on his carpet is an aerial loop-dee-loop. If you rotate the Control Stick rapidly in a circle, Wart performs this speedy loop. This gives him no distance, but foes who hit him while looping take 10-11% and average knockback. Wart has moderate priority while looping, although projectiles can still knock him off. Other than for sweet pictures, the best use of this is to throw off nearby foes. Don't be careless while recovering; you can pull off some awesome tricks, but you're far from able to go flapping around carelessly like Pit.
STANDARDS
Basic Combo - Spittle
Wart quickly opens his mouth slightly and spews out a blob of tiny bubbles. The blob is about the size of a Gooey Bomb, and travels at a slow speed to the ground directly in front of Wart. This spittle disappears upon hitting anything but an opponent, having low priority. If it connects, the bubbles attach to the foe, sticking to them for 1.5 second before popping. This stuns foes and deals 4-5% to them, but before the bubbles pop, characters can shake them off easily, like a Pikmin, so its nothing to really worry about. Wart has little ending lag, however, so he can spew several blobs of spittle in a row to keep foes on their toes.
Dash Attack - Leapfrog
Wart crouches on all fours, like before his grounded jump, then springs forward, feet extended with arms in the air. Wart's moderate startup lag here can serve as a hindrance here, but due to how similar it looks to his first jump, this can be quite confusing to foes. Also, while crouching here, Wart can cancel the move into a normal jump, so it's not really that problematic.
Wart jumps forward here about as high off the ground as Diddy's Monkey Flip, but travels only about 3/4 as far. Wart has super-armor for the first few frames of the jump, but average priority for the rest of the move. After reaching maximum range, Wart crashes to the ground with average ending lag; for this part of the move, the priority increases to above average. The hitbox here is Wart's underside and feet; foes who get hit by Wart in midair take 8-9% and below average knockback. However, foes who Wart lands on at the move's end take 13-14% and above average knockback. Pretty damaging, but hard to land on a smart opponent.
A more dangerous use to the move is using it to gimp opponents. If Wart hops offstage and lands on an opponent, the foe gets spiked powerfully. This can KO almost any opponents, no matter their damage level, but is ridiculously tricky to pull off. Also, if Wart misses, he'll plunge to his doom. Don't abuse this!
TILTS
Forward Tilt - Kingly Robes
This is a simple two-hit combo move. First, Wart sweeps a fold of his golden robe forward in front of him. There are several different uses of this hit. The first, and most obvious, is that the robe can reflect every single non-energy projectile in the game, even powerful ones like Gordos. However, the moderate startup and ending lag make this move hard to spam. The robe has moderate priority itself, and extends about a Stage Builder block in front of Wart.
If a foe barely nicks the end of the robe, they take below average knockback and 7-8%. However, if a character hits the robe portion close to Wart, he'll quickly pull his robes back in, trapping the foe. With the foe caught in his robe, Wart can press A again to perform a quick body-slam onto the foe. This gives them average knockback and 11-12%. However, foes can button mash out of it like a grab; characters with less damage find this easier to do. Learn where to use this move, as it can be great to defend Wart against campers.
Down Tilt - Story Time
Wart has no Down Tilt initially, but he does have an interesting little mechanic with his crouch that grants him one. When Wart crouches, he spawns a simple story-book at his feet, which he bends over to read. Releasing this crouch gives Wart almost a second of ending lag.
However, the book stays behind where he left it. It can be thrown by any character (other than Wart) like a basic item, dealing 10% and below average knockback to foes who hit it. The book lasts for ten seconds before vanishing, unless thrown offstage early. Wart can have up to two books onstage at a time.
These books are useless to Wart unless he has two of them onstage. If this is the case, however, and Wart uses Down Tilt right next to one book, he vanishes instantaneously into the book's pages. He can stay in there until the book vanishes, upon which he is tossed back out (L or R tosses him out early).
But, if you press A while in the book, Wart rapidly sticks his clawed hand out of the second book. He holds it out for a split second, before pulling it back in quickly. The hand has surprising range and grab priority. If a foe gets caught by Wart's hand, they get instantly pulled into the book. They are now stuck there like in a Pitfall item. A book with a foe (or the one containing Wart) can't be thrown, but the foe's book can be attacked, giving them that damage, while holding them down. The foe can button-mash out, but if they are in at the end of the ten seconds, they are launched out, dealing 12% and above average knockback.
Wart will need to find a time to set up the two books if he wants to use this move at all. Even with two books out, he'll need to manipulate the foe into it somehow, or place it strategically so he can grab them at the right time. Either way, it provides for some interesting mindgames. If Wart grabs a foe like this, he should leave his book and attack the one holding his foe for extra damage. Less importantly, Wart can temporarily defend himself from spammers while in his book, although attacks that hit it while he's hiding will damage him as well. Be cautious and play safely here!
Up Tilt - Clean Slurp
Wart bends his head upwards, opening his mouth rapidly, and shoots out his long sticky tongue to snare foes. He holds his tongue up like this for a split second, before pulling it back in with moderate ending lag. Wart's froggy tongue looks like that of Yoshi, but pink. The tongue has below average priority, and extends up about the height of Ganondorf.
The hitbox of the move is the whole long tongue; if a foe hits the sides of it, they are pulled in slightly in Wart's general direction. This gives them a weak 4-5% and leaves Wart open to retaliation. However, if they hit the rounded tongue end, they are pulled powerfully down in front of Wart, collapsing into their downed position on the floor. Skilled players can tech this slam down and punish Wart, but most times, you'll leave your foe open for combos. This sweet-spotted slurp deals 7-8% to foes. This is essentially a shorter-ranged Plasma Wire that leaves the foe slightly more open.
SMASHES
Forward Smash - Bubble Beam
Wart opens his mouth wide, and spits out a horizontal pillar of overlapping, Gooey Bomb-sized bubbles. He has below average startup lag here, but quite a lot ending. The range of the bubbles change with the charge of this Smash, ranging from one to three Stage Builder blocks. The bubbles have below average priority, but they only pop when attacked, not when touched by a character. In addition, the bubbles also have varying duration, depending on charge time. The duration of the pillar changes from one to three seconds, depending on the charge. Because of this, at maximum charge, you'll have three Stage Builder blocks' worth of bubbles for three seconds.
Foes who hit the bubbles are trapped in fast multiple light hits. While trapped foes can easily escape with DI, having a pillar of bubbles that last a fair time period can really rack up damage fast. If you are trapped in the bubbles when they vanish, you take above average knockback and anywhere from 1-32%, depending on how long you were trapped, and how long the bubbles were charged.
This is one of Wart's prime KO moves, but you'll have to snare your foes with the bubbles if you want to land it. An interesting trait of the bubbles is that they float if used over thin air. Because of this, they can be used as a handy gimping tool, as long as the foe's recovery doesn't pop them first.
Down Smash - Pond Splash
During the charge of this Smash, Wart crouches down on all fours, as a puddle of muddy water appears around him. Upon release, Wart bounds up, like Dedede's Up Special. At the apex of his jump, Wart turns over onto his stomach and plunges back down into the water, creating a big slamming splash. Wart has super armor on his way up, but can be interrupted on his way down. Wart falling has high priority and spikes foes down for 13-14%. Although this would seemingly trap them below Wart for the main Smash, the spiked character becomes downed, and therefore has invincibility frames. This allows them to dodge Wart's splash-down, and prevent too much consistent damage.
Wart's jumping range varies from the height of Luigi's Up Special on the ground to that of the Super Dedede Jump. Wart jumps up quickly, but has about the same landing lag as the Bowser Bomb. Foes who are under Wart when he collides with the ground take 15-19% and above average to high knockback. If the Smash is charged halfway or higher, Wart splashes up water from his puddle, in small droplets that come out at random trajectories. These merely push foes away, like F.L.U.D.D. or Water Gun. These aren't that helpful, but can still stun foes while Wart recovers. The puddle vanishes if the move is interrupted, and after the Smash is completed. This Smash is hard and dangerous to use in 1 vs. 1 matches, but it creates an interesting and powerful hitbox for FFAs.
Up Smash - Cloud Nine
While charging, Wart merely peers upwards, as if thinking. Upon release, he claps his hands above his head, causing a small white cloud to materialize above him. This cloud is not an attack itself, but Wart can manipulate it to damage opponents. The cloud serves as a platform, being the length of a Stage Builder block, and floating about Ganondorf's height off the ground. Depending on the charge time, the cloud can have 10 - 20 HP before vanishing. No matter what, the cloud lasts ten seconds before dispersing naturally. Wart can have two clouds out at once.
Now, the cloud isn't an attack itself, but if he hops onto it, Wart can cause two different weather-related effects to damage foes. All of Wart's attacks from the cloud are the same, with the exception of his Basic Combo and his Neutral Special. If Wart uses his Basic Combo on a cloud, the cloud starts to rain. This rain has awful priority, but comes out quickly and lasts for three seconds. Foes beneath the cloud take constant light damage with no knockback, like the Umbrella WarioWare mini-game. This can deal anywhere from 1-10% to foes. Also, the rain causes a slippery area under the cloud for five seconds, increasing characters' tripping rates. Simple, yet fairly effective.
The other effect is a bit more powerful. By using Wart's Neutral Special on a cloud, a thunder bolt zaps the ground under the cloud. The bolt's priority, size, and speed are comparable to Pikachu's Down Special. However, there is slightly more ending lag here, and the distance between the cloud and the ground is smaller than with Pikachu, so it's harder to connect with. Foes who hit the bolt take 6-7% and low knockback. If the bolt hits a grounded foe, however, they take 11-12% and are zapped backwards with moderate force. Wart can't move off the cloud until either effect is completed; the effects stop if Wart is attacked while they're occurring. Use wisely, and this move can help Wart in a number of tight situations.
Of note, characters can't move the cloud, but the likes of F.L.U.D.D. and Water Gun push the cloud in the direction of the water flow. Wind elements blow the cloud in the wind's direction, as well. Keep this in mind if you are fighting on a windy stage, say Green Greens, or against Mario or Squirtle.
AERIALS
Neutral Air - Putrid Gases
Wart quickly lets out a loud belch, which creates a yucky green aura around him. The aura surrounds Wart's body in a ball, extending out a fair distance. It lasts for two seconds before disappearing, after which Wart can move again. The cloud of gas has low priority, but has a fair range to compensate. Wart needs to watch when he uses this; if he misses a foe, he's open for the duration of the move. He also suffers moderate lag when he lands early.
If a foe enters the gassy aura, they take 3% per second, but no knockback. However, if they touch Wart himself, they enter a footstool effect for a second. Wart can maneuver around fairly well in midair with the aura out, but he can't attack or dodge until the gas vanishes. This is best for simply gimping opponents, or dealing quick damage. Also of note, while the priority is rather low, that only applies to physical attacks. If a projectile hits the aura, it immediately is vaporized with a hiss. Along with F-Tilt, this is great to defend Wart from campers, so learning defense in this fashion can be quite helpful.
Forward Air - Bubble Gum
Wart leans forward, as a sickly greenish bubble starts blowing up from his mouth like gum. He starts blowing the bubble quickly, it having surprisingly above average priority. The other properties of the move vary, depending on how big the blown bubble is. Wart's bubble goes from the size of a Deku Nut to the size of Kirby in a matter of 1.5 second. Wart can press A again while blowing a bubble to pop it automatically, having low ending lag. The bubble pops automatically after these 1.5 seconds.
If a foe hits the growing bubble, or has it popped on them, they can take anywhere from 2-3% and a small stun, to 14-15% and high knockback. Of course, this all depends on the bubble size. It's important to note that if a foe can beat the bubble's decent priority, it splats all over Wart's face, him having moderate lag, licking it off angrily. The landing lag isn't much better, but if you can space Wart properly in order to blow the bubble up, this can be a nice aerial finisher.
Back Air - Cannibalism
Wart turns around an opens his mouth wide, like Wario. This move does nothing unless a foe overlaps with Wart's mouth. If they do, he chomps down hard on them, dealing 9-11% and average knockback. He chomps with below average startup and ending lag. Foes with quick aerials can still punish Wart before he chomps; Wart has above average priority here to make this harder to do, however. His range is rather close, so he'll have to be up near his foes to land this. Multiple B-Airs can be chained, but only a few times, as Wart's close range will eventually leave him punishable. We can't have any more Dedede B-Air repeats, now can we?
Now, this move has an entirely different use in conjunction with the enemies Wart can call out with his Down Special. If Wart nicks the enemy with his mouth, he'll merely damage them. But, if he moves so as to overlap the enemy as he's opening his mouth, he'll swallow it. Wart's belly bulges out when he has an enemy inside him, so you know he's full. Now, Wart has three uses for swallowing his underlings. By using U-Air with a full belly, Wart uses a new, useful U-Air. As his normal one isn't that great, this is nice. Plus, it doesn't hurt the enemy in the process, so you can use this move your underling around nicely.
The second use only occurs with some enemies. If these enemies are swallowed, Wart gets a new effect for his B-Air. These vary per enemy, so this is generally what you'll want to swallow one type of enemy for. However, you can only use a set number of B-Airs per swallowed enemy, and only one enemy can be swallowed at a time. Choose when and where to use these effects wisely.
The final use is to heal damage. If Wart holds an enemy in his stomach for more than thirty seconds, the enemy will digest and vanish. If this occurs, Wart heals a set amount of damage. However, the enemy can be knocked out of Wart by hitting his stomach (which is a separate hitbox when he has swallowed an enemy) and dealing 30% to it. It's kind of a large target as well, so Wart needs to be careful if he wants to pull this off. All in all, this is definitely one of the most multi-purpose moves Wart has, so be sure to put it to good use. Unique enemy effects are listed under Down Special.
Up Air - Throw-Down
A rather simple, situational aerial; Wart shoots his tongue up a bit, then whips it downwards, before pulling it back in. His tongue quickly reaches up about Mario's height, staying up there for about half a second. It loses its hitbox as it whips down and back in, having moderate ending lag. Wart's tongue has below average priority; in combination with the other low points, this makes the move not that great. Foes who touch the round tip of the tongue (the hitbox) are grabbed and whipped downwards. This is a semi-spike, but is so weak that all it does it reverse the position of Wart and the foe. As it only deals 3-5%, the only real use of this is for a footstool jump set-up. You'll want to swallow an enemy for an actually damaging U-Air.
Up Air (Enemy Swallowed)- Throw-Up
With low startup lag, Wart bends his head upwards and pukes out the enemy he swallowed. There is no vomit here, but the enemy does have a slight green tint until they reach the ground; this signifies that they can hurt opponents with Wart's stomach acid. Swallowed enemies are shot up Ganondorf's height before falling straight down. Their size depends on the enemy, of course.
Foes who hit the enemies take 9-11% fire damage and decent knockback. If they hit the enemy's underside as it's plummeting, they are spiked with moderate force. The enemy loses its acidity when it touches down, and simply acts as normal again. Because of this, Wart can move the enemy around handily like this. The acidic enemies have average priority; if a foe has strong aerials, they can break through this and knock the foe around to damage it. This may be a good strategy if Wart pulls this one against you.
Down Air - Frog Legs
Wart oddly stretches his stubby clawed feet into webbed frog legs, kicking down, before stretching them back to normal. His legs stretch down about Olimar's height, and have average priority. Wart kicks with low startup lag, but has moderate ending lag. Foes hit by Wart's legs are spiked with decent force, while Wart is propelled two Ganondorfs into the air. This deals 10-11% to foes, and is a nice gimping tool for Wart. Just don't accidentally bounce up into hazards or enemy attacks.
A side use of this move is as a stronger first jump. If Wart uses this move close enough to the ground to land prematurely, he lags for a moderate time, before bouncing up the height of three Ganondorfs. You can't abuse this, of course, but if you can pull it off, Wart suddenly becomes a much more mobile character. He's a lot quicker in the air than on the ground. He's a frog, what did you expect?
GRAB AND THROWS
Grab - Snapjaw
With almost no startup lag, Wart sticks out his long sticky tongue, to snare an opponent. The tongue extends as far as Yoshi's grab, but due to the much better speed Wart has, this is actually usable. Wart still has moderate lag as he pulls his tongue back in, of course. He can also use his tongue as a decent tether recovery in tight spots. The grab has normal priority, unlike normal tether grabs, but only the tip of Wart's tongue snares foes. If it connects, Wart pulls the foe back into his mouth, ready to attack.
Grab Attack - Munch
Wart chews the opponent in his mouth, simply put. This is fairly fast for a grab attack, so mash it before throwing for a bit of extra damage. Each chomp deals about 1-2%.
Forward Throw - Froggy's Lunch
This is a two-hit throw. First, Wart quickly swallows the victim in his mouth. The victim can button-mash out of Wart's belly like Dedede's Inhale. However, this takes 1.5 times longer to do. Wart cannot attack or use more than one jump with a foe in his belly, and moves at half speed on the ground. Foes in his stomach take 2-3% per second, from Wart's stomach acid. Gross! Warticide is possible if you jump off the stage, but you'll want to make sure your foe is at high damage first, so they cannot escape.
Now, if you want to build better damage on your foe, you can press A for Wart to perform a belly-slam on the ground...with the foe in his belly. This gives them a decent 12% and average knockback. Wart has moderate startup and ending lag here, so it's dangerous to perform in FFAs. Even in 1 vs. 1s, expert players can DI into Wart and punish him. This doesn't mean it's bad at all, however; probably one of Wart's best damage-builders out there.
Back Throw - Croak-Et
Wart turns around, spitting out his foe to the ground in a heap, and takes out an Ostro from SMB2. He proceeds to hold it by the feet, like a golf club (a bit like the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland), and swings it at the foe. This deals 7-8% and average knockback to the victim. Nothing much else is noteworthy about the move, unless the victim DIs into Wart just as he swings the Ostro. If this happens, the victim is hit by the bird's neck (instead of its beak), so they take 5-6% and much lower knockback. It takes practice to pull off, but you'll want to learn it, as it might mean the difference between a walk-off KO and punishing Wart back.
Down Throw - Vase Stuffer
A vase (the SMB2 equivalent of pipes) appears in front of Wart, who quickly spits the victim in and pops a cork on top to trap them. He does the same thing to the residents of Subcon. The vase then becomes a heavy carrying object, like a barrel. The foe takes 3% getting stuffed into the vase, but nothing else, unless you take action. The vase can be escaped exactly like a Pitfall item; foes with less damage have an easier time with this.
There are two ways to damage foes in the vase. The vase can be attacked to make it roll in one direction, like a barrel. While rolling, foes take 1-2% per second. Also, Wart can pick up the vase and throw it; it smashes upon hitting the ground, dealing 13-14% and average knockback to the foe. Because of the time it takes to lift the vase, most foes will be able to escape first. Wart can throw the vase off a ledge if he is close; however, unless your foe has really high damage, they are likely to escape and recover before falling to their doom. Not the best throw for damage-builder, unless your foe has high damage and you just need a finisher.
Up Throw - Amphibious Crush
Wart coughs the foe up a tiny distance above his head, then springs upwards, grabbing the foe in the process. After reaching maximum jump height (the height of the Super Dedede Jump), Wart holds the foe beneath him, crashing down on them. This is a fairly long throw to perform, making it risky to use in FFAs. It is fairly safe in 1 vs. 1s, however; it deals 12% and below average knockback to the victim.
In FFAs, it is noteworthy that Wart's body becomes a hitbox, like Dedede's Up Special. He also has super armor frames when rising. If you are hit by Wart plummeting, you are spiked powerfully, and take 11-12%. There is no shockwave, however, and you take no knockback. What's more is that you can now punish Wart and his victim with a get-up attack. Despite these downfalls, this is an interesting throw to use in different circumstances; try it out!
Special Throw - Bubble Trap
By pressing B when Wart has a foe grabbed, he uses a new Special Throw. Wart simply spits the victim out in front of him...encased in a bubble, from his Neutral Special. This deals 4-5% to the foe, as they float forwards at Ganondorf's walking speed, bobbing up and down slightly. They float for about a second (foes with higher damage float slightly longer) before the bubble pops, leaving the foe in a helpless state.
Foes can button-mash out, but it's slightly harder to do than with a grab. The bubble can be popped by any attack, damaging the foe, but not rendering them impotent. Wart has no real use for this throw, unless he's near the edge with a damaged foe. Unless the foe has a crazy good recovery, he may be able to set them up for a gimp with this. Of note, if the bubble is blown by wind (e.g. Green Greens, PictoChat), it moves twice as fast as normal.
SITUATIONALS
Downed Attack - Bounce-Back
Wart quickly bends up onto all fours, jumps up slightly, then crashes down on two feet. The hitbox is on his feet here; Wart has average priority, but close range. This is really only usable if foes are breathing down your neck constantly. Getting jumped on gives foes 6-8% and below average knockback. Wart has below average ending lag, as he straightens up a bit, so he must be careful where he uses this. It's not that great of a get-up attack.
Flipped Attack - Dust Off
Wart stands up quickly and brushes himself off cockily. How dare you knock down royalty! This is not an attack, but causes a Kirby-sized cloud of dust to float off on either side of Wart. The clouds hit close to Wart, and have low priority. If an enemy touches a cloud, they get pushed back, like with F.L.U.D.D. While Wart can't damage foes like this, it is very fast for clearing the area around him. The clouds last for ten seconds, or until they are dispersed by attacks. This obscures the area around Wart, so it can be used for confusing stupid people.
Tripped Attack - Royal Boomerang
Wart quickly stands up and takes off his crown, angling it. He angles it as long as you hold A, but merely throws it forwards it you tap the input. The crown travels half the length of Final Destination at the speed of Fox's dash, before returning to Wart's head. This has below average startup and ending lag. The crown is about half the size of Kirby, and has moderate priority.
The crown deals 7-8% and below average knockback to foes. Wart is vulnerable while waiting for the crown's return, but this is nice for clearing him some breathing room if he needs it. If he is attacked while the crown is out, a new one merely appears on his head. Hmm, sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Ledge Attack - Jewelry Punch
This move may sound generic at first, but stick with me, it's not. Wart climbs onto the stage and punches forward with one ringed fist, with moderate startup and ending lag. This hits at close range and has low priority. Foes who hit Wart's fist take 5% and low knockback. Quite punishable, and overall bad for a ledge attack.
However, if it is used again a second time, Wart's fist now has two rings on it as he punches. The lag and range stays the same, but the priority becomes below average. The damage is also buffed up to 8% and below average knockback. If used a third and fourth time, the priority becomes average, then high, as Wart gets another ring per each use. In addition, the damage and knockback change become 11% and average, and 15% and above average, respectively. You'll need to find time to overcome the move's lag if you want to buff it up. However, when it is fully powered, it can destroy edge-guarding shield-grabbers, and maybe even KO a foe at high damage. After punching with all four rings on, Wart starts back with one again, as the cycle repeats.
Ledge Attack (Over 100%) - Old Fart
Wart struggles on the ledge, for moderate startup lag, before climbing onto the stage and farting. The fart propels Wart forward a Stage Builder block's distance, before he skids to a stop with fair ending lag. Wart's body has below average priority, and deals 5-6% and a small set knockback, to those who hit it. This is easy to shield-grab Wart out of, so it's better off just jumping onto the stage. If some idiot opponent touches the fart, they get a shield-break dizzy effect for a second. Wart can punish this, but no real foe will ever do this; it's just there for effect.
FINAL SMASH
Final Smash - Nightmare Machine
Uh-oh...Wart's gotten hold of a Smash Ball! With an evil croak, he takes out a remote control. The stage background darkens significantly, as a large machine with three pipes rises up from the ground. It's Wart's Nightmare Machine, used to create enemies and vegetables. The whole machine is three times as wide as Bowser; the two side pipes are as tall as Bowser, while the middle pipe is 1.5 times Ganondorf's height. It is placed at the center of the stage, while Wart holds onto the remote control.
Wart has three new effects, now that his regime of bad dreams has begun. First of all, by pressing A, Wart presses a button on his control, causing the two side pipes to begin moving back and forth, aiming. With the Control Stick, you can now choose the trajectory the pipes will fire their ammo at. After three seconds of aiming, the pipes fire automatically, but pressing A again fires them early. The pipes fire three Vegetables; one out of each pipe.
They are shot at high speeds, and depending on the angle they were shot at, can cover a great distance on any stage. The side pipes shoot the veggies left and right, but the middle one always shoots its Vegetable straight up, three Ganondorfs into the air. The vegetables deal high knockback and 24-25% each. They have high priority, so you can't just block them, like Peach's Down Special. Only one round of veggies can be out at a time, so you're limited to about one shot every three seconds.
While Vegetables are nice little damage-builders, you can't really rely on them at close range. Standing right next to the machine allows foes to avoid most veggies, although touching the machine when it's firing deals 10% and average knockback to foes. Wart himself gains two new upgrades during his Final Smash. Whenever he uses his Neutral Special during the Final Smash, Wart spits three bubbles rather than one. The bubbles travel a fair distance apart, in their usual bouncy pattern; now, however, they are spit out without any lag, all at once. If you hit one, you'll definitely hit them all. The bubbles now have high priority, and deal 8% and a bit of stun each.
Finally, Wart now has no limit to the number of enemies he can summon with his Down Special. He can now swarm the stage with his subordinates, building damage and causing havoc. Wart is not invincible throughout his Final Smash; if he has high damage, you'll want to get in there and finish him off. If Wart is KOed, the Final Smash ends early. It lasts for 15 seconds otherwise; the Nightmare Machine shrinks back into the ground after this time. Wart will need to work to KO here; this is a great damage-builder, but you'll have to find openings to KO.
As a small Easter Egg, if Wart uses this Final Smash on the Wart's Lair stage (where the Nightmare Machine already is), the machine simply turns on with a whir, rather than a new machine rising from the ground.
OVERALL PLAYSTYLE - TYRANNICAL TOAD
Wart has the distinction of being the first combo-oriented heavyweight to set foot in the world of Brawl. First one who's not utterly broken, that is. He functions fairly well as a standard generic heavyweight, but if you try to use those tactics in a competitive match, you'll be destroyed. Sure, Wart has heavy-hitting attacks, but that doesn't mean he can just F-Smash and win. No, playing as Wart takes much more skill than that.
First off, Wart has a good projectile game for a heavier character. Wart is a bit like Snake in this regard, just not as insanely powerful. Blowing Bubbles, his main projectile, has an awkward and bouncy movement pattern, which makes it tricky to land on foes. With enough practice, however, it can become one of the staples of Wart's combos. Poison Dart Frog is Wart's secondary projectile, and as such, is not as important as Neutral Special for combos. Still, if Wart can get a poison blob on his opponent from a decent distance away, it can easily rack up the damage on a foe. It also leaves Wart able to set up his other moves, due to the brief stun.
One of Wart's most devious ways of creating trouble in matches is through his subordinates. Hey, being a king has its perks, you know. It may seem that Wart can operate like one of those notorious trap characters through these enemies. If you attempt to play like this, however, your opponent will find you easily predictable, unlike the real trap-layers. As a large heavyweight, this is definitely not a trend you want when playing as Wart. Enemies can't be relied on for a few lucky hits while your opponents are taking care of them, either. Never fear, Wart has ways of putting the enemies to good use.
B-Air is an aerial you'll probably use for approaching anyways, so if you move at your enemy while performing it, you'll swallow them. Wart can now KO enemies with his U-Air; expert Wart players can spit up their enemy with U-Air, swallow the falling enemy again with B-Air, and keep juggling their opponent. You'll probably never get to digest your enemy to heal damage, but if you distract your opponent with combos so as to keep your belly from taking 30%, it may just work. Also, Wart's new enemy B-Airs provide for a wide variety of approaches, but you can't rely on them, as the summoned enemies are random.
Wart has quite a few ways of approaching his enemies and racking up damage. On the ground, Wart is quite slow, but most if not all of his combos are ground-based. Basic Combo, F-Tilt, and F-Smash are among the moves Wart users should learn to hit opponents with, in the midst of his great projectiles. U-Tilt can pull in foes into closer-ranged attacks, or set up foes to be grabbed. D-Tilt and U-Smash, while hard to execute on smart foes, take little effort to set up. This means that Wart should try to keep a cloud or book on the stage, just in case he can find that little opening he needs to damage foes with them. Once you've accumulated damage on the ground, F-Smash and D-Smash are your prime KO moves. Remember, Wart has power among his combos, so throw these in to close your games.
Now, being a frog, Wart is quite jumpy. As such, he has a fast and bouncy aerial game. However, unlike his grounded attacks, Wart hits harder in the air. He can't combo nearly as well up here, as his attacks are slower for the most part. Unless you've mastered spacing and are prepared to risk using N-Air as a footstool alternate, stick to B-Air and D-Air as your main aerial offense. F-Air is hard to space, but can KO foes easily if you master when to pop the bubble. U-Air is the sore thumb of Wart's aerials; it's not powerful unless you've swallowed an enemy, but it's a nice set-up foe Wart's spiking D-Air. Generally, you'll want to keep your foe on the ground, but Wart is not helpless in the air. Up there, his heavyweight game shows through the most.
Overall, Wart can fight most of the top tiers fairly easily. His large weight makes it difficult for the faster characters to knock him around, although his size allows him to be caught in a lot of attacks. Due to him being able to combo, Wart can keep up with the fast characters. His awful speed allows projectile spammers to flee and pepper him with their ammo. Wart can use his enemies as a barrier to this, in addition to reflecting or vaporizing the projectiles with F-Tilt and N-Air. Wart is a nice counter to campy characters, but if they take on a hit-and-run approach, Wart must be much more careful.
Wart's match-ups are often quite heated, as whoever gets in front in terms of damage will generally win. If Wart gets ahead and keeps up his combos, he can emerge victorious, while if the opponent takes advantage of Wart's slow downfalls early on, they can come out on top as well. Wart is not the heavyweight beast Dedede is, but can still be played in upper levels of competition, about as much as, say, Donkey Kong.
PLAYING AGAINST - REGICIDE
So you're trying to bring down Wart, are you? Well, the frog king shares many of the weaknesses of other heavyweights, despite being combo-focused. Wart is quite slow on the ground, meaning jumping in with a few fast aerials before fleeing, is an easy way to build rapid damage on him. Wart can defend against spammers, but unless the player times their defense perfectly, you could probably still get in a shot or two. However, why take a more variable approach against Wart when there are better ways to defeat him?
Wart may be a powerful character, but he is rather light for a heavyweight as well. Unless you can DI insanely well, Wart dies earlier than most other heavier characters. He has moderate defense when trying to recover, unless you go under his Magic Carpet and knock him off helplessly. If he tries to tether to the ledge with his grab, you know the drill: grab the ledge and laugh, as Wart falls to his doom.
Because Wart is combo-oriented, you can't just use a flurry of combos to devastate him, like you can to some other heavyweights. That said, Wart is still a massive target, but expect for him to try and combo you back when you approach him. Most of his combo moves are somewhat predictable. His combo moves are powerful, and once he gets started comboing, you'll have some trouble getting out. However, if Wart whiffs a move on you, you can generally rack up quite a bit of damage on him in retaliation.
Wart has quite a few uses for his enemies, as stated earlier. However, if you can keep close to Wart, he'll have a harder time setting up these offensive tactics. Some enemies can be more challenging to take down than others, but most of the time, a few strong attacks will knock them out. By keeping close to Wart and punishing him whenever he tries to swallow an enemy, you ensure not only that Wart heals no damage, but also that his B-Air and U-Air stay in their normal states. Wart's projectiles are also rendered useless at close range; Side Special needs range to build damage with, while Bubbles can be taken care of and punished.
Finally, if you can get Wart's damage up a bit and bring the fight into the air, Wart has much more of a shortage of options. He can still use normal B-Air multiple times to build damage and edge-guard, but most other aerials can be overcome, or punished easily. Due to Wart's large size, he can also be juggled quite well. Defeating Wart is a matter of closing the gaps and keeping him under pressure. Get ahead early and bring that king down!
MATCH-UPS
Vs. Meta Knight - 60 / 40: Wart's Favor
Ah, facing the god of Brawl, are we? Well, Wart actually has a fair bit going for him in this match-up. He's basically a better Donkey Kong against Meta Knight. While the big ape can break through the Whorenado and whatnot easily, but not really follow Meta Knight, Wart not only can break through quite a few of Meta Knight's moves, but also follow up due to being a combo character. Of course, Meta Knight can combo Wart's fat arse to hell and back, but Wart's projectiles and enemies, along with proper spacing, can prevent this if set up properly.
Because Wart is a heavyweight, he doesn't die as fast against Meta Knight as most other characters. However, Meta Knight's endless jumps allow him to gimp Wart extremely easily. Although Wart's projectile attacks can space him from Meta Knight, they can still be broken through with the godly priority of that d*mn sword. While Meta Knight can still be comboed by Wart, his smaller size allows him to escape after too much damage. His light weight causes him to die early against Wart as well, but proper DI can save this to some extent. In this battle of combo characters, Wart has a slight advantage, but this is still a close match-up.
Vs. Ice Climbers - 40 / 60: Ice Climbers' Favor
Wart has a hard time in this match-up due to his size. If it weren't for that d*mn chain-grab, Wart would have a much easier time against the Climbers. He's not as unviable against them as, say Bowser, but Wart still has big problems here. While some of his moves can separate Nana from Popo quite well, especially his projectiles, Wart's slow speed allows him very little breathing room.
If he messes up once and gets grabbed, it's pretty much a lost stock. Wart will have to KO that wh*re as soon as you can to prevent the chain-grab, if at all possible. The Ice Climbers have some trouble approaching the frog king, but it's not too hard to master. Although this match-up is fairly close, Wart will still want to get a huge lead if he wants to win.
Vs. Pit - 70 / 30: Wart's Favor
Here's a match-up where Wart's defense against projectiles really takes a toll on the flow of the battle. Of course, most Pits will just spam arrows, but Wart can either deflect them with his F-Tilt, vaporize them with his N-Air, or merely summon an enemy to take the hit for him. If Wart learns to block the projectiles consistently, Pit will need to approach Wart.
Despite Pit being much faster than Wart in the air, several of his attacks are quite predictable; in most cases, Wart can either shield-grab Pit from the ground, or out-prioritize him. Like Meta Knight, Pit's ample jumps and recovery allow him to gimp Wart easily. In the end, however, Pit generally has to fight at close range here, which hinders him in the match-up against Wart.
Vs. Peach - 5 / 95: Peach's Favor
A word of advice: never play Wart against a good Peach. First off, in true SMB2 style, Peach's vegetables do double their normal damage and knockback to Wart (the poor frog's allergic to vitamins and minerals!). This gives Peach such an advantage right off the bat against Wart. While Wart can try deflecting the veggies, a good Peach will know how to float and hit Wart at an angle he can't defend himself at.
Otherwise, Peach's D-Air is exceptional at comboing Wart from above, as his U-Tilt and U-Smash give him almost no vertical defense. Peach can float out and gimp Wart off his carpet if she needs to, juggle him with repeated U-Airs, and even break out of most of the combos that are Wart's bread and butter, due to her light weight. Oh yeah, and Toad can defend her from Wart's projectiles with ease. The fact that Wart can KO her light weight is the only thing he really has going for him. If Peach even gives him that opening. This is a scary match-up for Wart on so many levels. Don't do it.
Vs. Bowser - 35 / 65: Bowser's Favor
Battle of the Mushroom Kingdom baddies! The fact that Wart is good at combos, and Bowser is a walking feast of combo food, makes this match-up poor for the Koopa King, right? Well, Bowser surprisingly fares well against Wart. For one, Fire Breath can't be deflected by Wart, as it's not a true projectile attack. Bowser can use it to build easy damage on Wart's huge arse. In addition, F-Tilt and F-Air are all Bowser needs to overcome Wart's projectiles and enemies in a few clean hits. At close range, Wart can combo Bowser, but his ground attacks are generally slower than Bowser's, surprisingly enough. This gives Bowser the overall advantage in the match-up, although it is not unwinnable for Wart.
Vs. Yoshi - 50 / 50: Draw
Yoshi actually has ways of fighting Wart, shockingly enough. While Wart has his projectiles that Yoshi has trouble with, Wart doesn't fare too much better against a well-aimed Egg Toss. Wart's enemies pose trouble for Yoshi at close range, although Yoshi can Egg Roll through them if necessary. Wart can punish and combo Yoshi rather easily, but Yoshi's D-Air is very hard for the frog king to escape from.
Yoshi has one other unique Easter egg in this match-up if he is swallowed by Wart with his F-Throw. While in Wart's belly, Yoshi can actually use Egg Toss, which causes Yoshi to be crapped out instantly, while Wart lags for a second (Yoshi's Island reference!). Yoshi can punish him now, making that throw unviable against a good Yoshi. Being the low tier that he is, Yoshi has problems against Wart, but he has ways of coping as well, resulting in a draw in this match-up.
Vs. Ganondorf: 30 / 70: Ganondorf's Favor
The King of Evil has easy ways of fighting the King of Subcon with little problem. Although he is slow as molasses with quite a few moves, Ganondorf has great priority with his Jab and F-Tilt. This allows him to overcome pretty much all of Wart's projectiles with ease. Now, as he closes in on Wart, Ganondorf's priority still reigns over Wart. While Wart has better ways of approaching, Ganondorf's bulky form powers through the slimy moves of Wart with ease. With Wart's size, Ganondorf can just D-Tilt him like crazy, before pushing him away with a Jab, for defense.
Of course, Ganondorf's size prevent this match-up from extending too far against Wart, as if the Wart player is spaced-out properly and is extremely careful, they can catch Ganondorf and build damage on him. However, if Ganondorf can get Wart into the air, he can dominate Wart like crazy with N-Air and U-Air. Wart can actually be spiked through his carpet (rather than just falling off helplessly), and while Ganondorf can't follow Wart offstage that well, it isn't too much of an issue for him. The Gerudo Warlock reigns supreme in this battle of royalty.
EXTRAS
Extra Animations
Up Taunt - Evil Laughter
Mandatory for a villainous king; Wart laughs in a deep bullfrog-esque voice. If the taunt is spammed, his voice will croak like that of a tiny frog. If this happens, Wart's eyes widen as he clears his throat. Forget that minor mishap!
Side Taunt - Royal Introduction
Just like when you encounter him in Super Mario Advance, Wart puts his hands on his hips and declares, "I am the great Wart! Wah ha ha!" Uh, we already know that, Wart...
Down Taunt - Mamu's Melody
Wart begins croaking a clip from the tune he teaches Link in his cameo, from Link's Awakening. He appeared under his Japanese name, Mamu, here. The taunt can extend for about thirty seconds if you let it, but after two seconds, you can cancel it with any input.
Entrance - Hawkmouth
The magical bird gate from SMB2, Hawkmouth, appears in a flash of magic. It opens its mouth, and out hops Wart, ready to battle, as the gate vanishes.
Victory Pose #1 - Long Live the King
Wart stands in a badass pose, robes flowing in the wind, arms folded. As he does so, a posse of Shy Guys bow before their ruler, making their odd grunting noises. Wart chuckles to himself as they do so; it's good to be king.
Victory Pose #2 - Swampy Celebration
Wart sits in a pile of swamp muck, surrounded by buzzing flies. He catches a few with his long sticky tongue, before looking at the camera contentedly.
Victory Pose #3 - Bubble Blow-Back
Wart laughs evilly as he blows out a series of bubbles in a reckless manner, to the right. He stands, hands on hips, facing the direction he shot the bubbles...for them to blow back right into his eyes. Wart lets out a croak of surprise, and begins running around comically, trying to lose the burn of the bubbles. He does so until you leave the results screen.
Loss Pose - Angry Defeat
Wart stands in a hunched over pose, a bit like Dedede when he loses, applauding the foes who beat him. However, while the penguin king smiles stupidly, Wart has an angry grimace on his face. He'll get them next time...whenever that may be.
Loss Pose against Mario, Luigi, or Peach - Carried Away
Wart stands, hand over heart, eyes and mouth open wide. He gasps and stutters, "No...ribbit...NOOOOO...aggh!", as he collapses to the ground, his face turning gray slightly. He does the same when defeated in Super Mario Advance. Shortly after this, a crowd of Subcons (the fairy-esque citizens of Subcon) come onscreen. They surround Wart's body, picking it up and carrying it away. Wart seems to have entered a dead faint.
Kirby Hat - Bubble Kirby
When Kirby inhales Wart, he gains the frog king's golden robes, as well as his crown. This crown happens to be much larger than Peach's crown, so it droops over Kirby's head much more. Kirby can now use Blowing Bubbles as a projectile. His multiple jumps really help with angling the bouncy bubbles, especially to use as an edge-guard. Fire away!
Alternate Colors
Normal (Green skin, blue and gold robes) - Blue Team
Red skin, purple robes (Hurt color from Super Mario Advance) - Red Team
Green skin, golden robes (Super Mario All-Stars version)
Dark green skin, murky brown robes (Swampy Wart) - Green Team
Olive skin, tan robes (Mamu from Link's Awakening)
Tan skin, indigo and white robes (Wart Jr. from Animal Crossing: Wild World)
THERE YA GO, SUNDANCE!
Codec Conversation
-Press Select-
Snake:So I'm watching this tubby frog king...he's just blowing bubbles and sending out little monsters. Who does he think he is? Colonel:That's King Wart of Subcon, Snake. He leads a nightmarish army of strange creatures, and rules the land in disgusting tyranny. Snake:These little things compose his army? They aren't putting up much of a fight at all. Wart himself doesn't look like he can do much of anything. Colonel:Wart may just want you to think that. Being the amphibian that he is, he can be quite fast and bouncy at times. Snake:Well, he's just acting like a lazy fatso now. Colonel:That may be so, but stayon your toes. Just because he's slow doesn't mean he's stupid, Snake. Wart usually has more tricks up his slimy sleeves. Snake:Alright, then. Time to make this frog croak.
-End Transmission-
Other
Icon - Classic Power-Up
Wart fights under the standard Mario Super Mushroom.
Wiimote Sound - Kingly Intimidation
Wart simply chuckles evilly a few times, before letting out a loud 'ribbit!'.
Crowd Chant - Amphibious Applause
A crowd of male voices chant, "Wart, Wart, Wart!" over and over, while a chorus of swampy frogs and insects provide some background noise. Pretty cool to listen to, actually.
Unlocked By:
Play 720 Brawls
Clear Classic Mode on Hard with Mario, Luigi, and Peach
Win 10 Brawls with Bowser
Unlock Message:
"The nightmarish frog king of Subcon, Wart, has made a comeback. Has he been training for combat all those years of absence?"
Assist Trophy - Birdo
The mini-boss of Super Mario Bros. 2, appearing in almost every level to be fought at the end. Here, the standard pink Birdo appears as an Assist Trophy. She is about the size of Yoshi, but slightly taller, due to her bow. Yes, it is a her, no matter what people say about the manual's typo. She threatens, "This is as far as you go!", before spitting out a slew of eggs, standing in one position. The eggs are half the size of Kirby, and are fired straight. They travel at Mario's dashing speed across the whole stage, although they have average priority that can be broken. Birdo fires about one egg per second.
Every three eggs Birdo fires is a fireball. Fireballs have high priority, and deal 10% and average knockback. Normal eggs merely deal 4-5% and low knockback. If an egg is broken open, there is a 50% chance that it will contain an item. The items that appear are only items from the Mario series, however. Birdo herself has 30 HP that can be lowered to KO her. If this happens, she'll cry out, "I'll remember this!" before vanishing. She lasts for fifteen seconds otherwise. Birdo can build moderate damage, but she'll rarely KO your opponents. She appears semi-commonly as an Assist Trophy.
Stage - Wart's Lair
It's only natural that Wart's home stage would take place in his lair, at the end of World 7-2; the final level in SMB2. The centerpiece here is the Nightmare Machine. The two red block bases of the machine are drop-through platforms, as are the two floating pedestals above the machine. The machine's pipes are not platforms, however. This stage has seen some changes in the more than twenty years since SMB2.
The small wall to the left of the machine now extends all the way to the ceiling. The wall on the right is out of sight in the above picture, but it extends to the ceiling as well. Teching central, right? These walls can be broken down, like those on Shadow Moses Island. These brick walls need double the damage of the Shadow Moses walls before they fall, however. In addition, the blast zone is much farther away from the stage than most other walk-off stages, so you don't have to worry about early KOs. The walls magically reappear out of smoke after thirty seconds.
Now, you may be thinking that this is just another banned stage because of Dedede. However, the Nightmare Machine prevents this. If a character holds another character against any of the three walls for longer than ten seconds, a Vegetable is shot from the machine. The arcing angle of the veggie comes down on the chaingrabbing character, allowing the victim to escape. Nifty, eh? The veggie has average priority, and simply deals 4-5%. It behaves just like Peach's veggies; if another character jumps and catches it, the Vegetable can be thrown around.
One final change from the original stage is that the roof is now high enough to KO foes off the top blast line. This stage is not pixelated like the other old Super Mario stages, so it actually has a background now. There are several royal torches and red curtains in the background, in addition to the Phanto spirits that are present in the original stage. Definitely a fitting and legal home stage for the king of Subcon.
Wart: Pretty cool. Wart sounds like an interesting and fun character to play as, with combos and projectiles and all. I love the Down Special, though it admittedly is overused to have a minion-summoning move, because of how it interacts so much with other moves. My only real problem was with the odd organization. Having movement sprites on either sides of a header is kinda unoriginal, and it seemed like half of the text was bolded/colored, so it was more distracting than it showed what was important. Still, this is a well-done set, with an interesting playstyle and great detail.
Ah, Wart's a pretty cool set. You gave him an interesting combo-oriented playstyle, and one that isn't suprisingly broken. You seemed to highlight things a little too often, but that's just a minor nitpick. Overall I like Tryclyde better, but you did quite well with Wart.
I think I'm either gonna do Jungle Bomb from the kirby series or Space Ghost from Space Ghost Coast to Coast in my next set....
First off, I aplogize for ignoring your moveset on the page. After all those MYM5 fiascos I should know better.
Anyways, I was never a supporter of Takamaru's inclusion into smash bros because I thought he was just a generic ninja. So I was pleasently surprised when I saw that he had much more potential than I thought. Lightning katana ftw! There were some really clever moves in there like the DSmash, and overall I have some more respect for the character. It's a shame that Sakurai would probably make him a borderline Marth clone.
Wart:
Now this was certainly a pleasent surprise! I rememeber the idea for this set coming up once in chat but I had no idea someonce actually took it up!
Anyways, this set feels very much like a Kupa set, having tons of creative move ideas that squeeze out all of the potential of the character. While I'm (expectedly) not fond of the random stuff present in key moves like his down-special, I'm still happy to see the Nightmare King have his minions get a role. The one thing I didn't really like abotut this set was all of the green, seriously it was like the moveset was sick or something.
Thanks for the comments so far. The minions and the highlighting were the subjects I saw the most, so I'll touch on those. I knew that minion-summoning was rather cliche now, so I threw in other uses Wart could use for them. I mean, if you're going to implement five different enemies, there has to be some chance of each one appearing. It may be a bit random, but it's not really unbalanced. I don't think it's too much of an issue.
And the green coloring. Well, he is a frog, so green really does fit Wart, IMO. However, this was also my first time with the highlighting style. Looking over Wart, it does seem like there was too much highlighted, so I'll have to work on that for my next few sets.
Game Boy Colour Link: Oh boy, this one is another example of a very unimaginative layout. You gain points for writing so much, but the entire thing is in the most boring font possible and unwieldy colours. It reminds me a lot of Links’ actual moveset – versatile, many weapons and a few generic ones that don’t really add anything special, the last of which being an area where you could drastically improve. Definitely work on your organisation and your playstyle section, but in all, the length of this one impresses me. You just need to edit it down and make it pretty from now on.
Thanks for the critique. With both sets so far, I haven't put much work into the layout because I hate working with this **** Post Editor-Thingy. I guess I'll have to get used to it.
Thanks for the critique. With both sets so far, I haven't put much work into the layout because I hate working with this **** Post Editor-Thingy. I guess I'll have to get used to it.
Wart is certainly a great moveset. Lots of creative moves, and it certainly looks very greenish
Overall, while i'm not completely finished reading it, so far, so awesome, though you might wanna fix the BB code error in the extras stage.
Anyway, Gold is coming along greatly. 2 Pokemon are finished and all i need to do is finish one more...with of course, a playstyle, and a couple of extras >.> This looks like my best moveset yet. I just need the opinion on a certain someone on one of the movesets i finished..*stares at K.Rool*
Some of you might remember my Master Chief moveset back in MYM 4.
Well looking back on it, I felt that it really wasn't all that great even though it was my very first MYM submission. Currently, I'm in the middle of completely revamping my old Chief moveset (keeping a few core things that made it stand out) and making it even better than ever. I hope to have it up within the next day or two.
I'll also have extensive frame data on Master Chief's attacks, and I have a feeling this will become a staple in MYM 7 :D
Wart:I really liked this set kupa; wart has a lot of cool attacks & some awesome move interactions (not to mention the nostalgia). Just so there is actually some constructive criticism in this post, I found the down tilt to be kind of useless; it seems really predictable when Wart is near one of the books. & I didn't like the fact that the down smash was basically a grounded version of dedede's up special. Other than that, great job with this one!
Edward Elric is one of the central characters of the anime and manga series, Fullmetal Alchemist. Ed himself does in fact hold the title of “Fullmetal Alchemist”, as a title or codename given to him by the military.
Edward and his brother, Alphonse, tried to resurrect their mother using a type of magic known as alchemy, but the end result cost Ed his right arm and left leg and Al his entire body. Ed childhood friend Winry gave Ed mechanical replacements for his limbs with a material known as automail.
Ed is one of the most powerful alchemists in the series. He has seen a supernatural location called “The Gate” when attempting to bring back his mother, which granted him the ability to perform alchemy with his bare hands, usually in the form of creating obstacles in the ground or creating a blade on his automail arm.
Ed is usually a helpful young man and is very caring towards his brother. However, he is insecure about his abnormally small stature and will lash out and anybody who brings it up.
Ground Movement - 6/10 (Ed is much more physically fit than most people his age, but he’s still only human, so his movement isn’t too much above the norm)
Traction - 9/10 (His automail leg allows Ed to turn on a dime)
Attack Speed - 4/10 (Ed’s an interesting guy; many of his ground moves are slower than average, but his aerial moves tend to be rather quick. His aerial moves still have a bit of lag on the end to keep him from becoming the next Meta Knight, so overall he’s just below average)
Attack Power - 7/10 (Ed’s ground and air game continue to contrast themselves; his ground game is built around stronger knockback, while his air game is built for damage racking, complementing each other nicely.)
Range - 6/10 (A lot of big disjointed hitboxes to work with)
Priority - 6/10 (While Ed does have a lot of disjointed moves, he also has his share of ones with less than stellar priority, particularly in his aerials)
Aerial Movement - 5/10 (Nothing fancy here, it’s enough to approach and retreat competently, but other characters can do either of those better)
Jump Height - 6/10
Midar Jump - 5/10
Fall Speed - 5.5/10 (Those automail limbs cause Ed to be a tinge above average, but it’s barely noticeable due to their design)
Size - Poor Edward is only around the height of Mario. Sure, this makes him a smaller target, but it doesn’t do much for his self-esteem. At least Ed’s not overweight like our favorite Nintendo plumber.
Weight - Ed is a touch heavier than Mario thanks to those mechanical limbs he has.
Idle - Ed stands calm and focused with his arms raised, ready to attack. His automail arm already has the blade activated on it for some butt-kicking.
Walk - Ed continues to remain collected as he confidently advances towards the enemy.
Dash - Ed begins to act a little more reckless when he dashes, looking like he’s about to thrust his blade straight into your throat.
Crouch - Ed gets down on one knee and looks slightly downwards as though he is examining something on the ground while simultaneously trying to keep an eye on his opponent.
Neutral Special -Transmutation Circle
This move can only be performed on the ground. Ed will kneel down and begin to draw a transmutation circle with a piece of chalk into the ground. It looks like the one you see in all the headers in this move set. This takes about 1 second to do, and the animation cannot be canceled out of, though if Ed is hit out of the animation he can continue to draw the circle if he returns to the one he started. The circle is about the width of Dedede, and if there is not enough room to draw one Ed will snap the chalk in frustration for above average lag. Only one of these circles can be on the stage, if there already is one on the stage when Ed does this move the old one will disappear as Ed starts the new one.
You may be wondering why a man who can perform alchemy without the need of a circle would ever want to manually draw one. Well, with one of these on the stage, Ed can launch some of his alchemy attacks from the location of the circle instead of their default positions! Once Ed performs an attack with the circle, it disappears. A nifty thing about Ed’s transmutation circles is that they can be utilized by other alchemist characters who are on a team with him, such as Alphonse and Roy Mustang. So Alphonse can set Ed’s circle as the one he will summon walls or recover with, and Roy can detonate them with his DSmash. Even after seeing The Gate, old-school alchemy will always have its place.
Side Special -Projectile Transmutation
Ed holds out his automail arm for a moment, with low startup lag to do so. Normally, he would then just retract his arm for below average end lag…huh? You see, in order for anything to happen, Ed has to catch a projectile in his hand. He will then clench his fist as alchemic energy (looks like the blue lightning you see in the opening picture) courses over his hand for .45 seconds, and then the projectile he caught will be transmutated into something else. What he creates depends on the type of projectile he caught:
If it was an energy projectile (Falco’s Blaster or Samus’ Charge Shot), or an elemental attack (like a chunk of ice) Ed will then once again thrust forwards an open palm as a bolt of alchemic lightning shoots forth from his hand. It is as long as Marth’s sword, disjointed, and deals 12% with below average knockback, KOing around 165%. There is low end lag to this.
If Ed caught a throwing weapon, such as daggers, or a thrown beam-sword, Ed will transmutate the weapon into the same metal that is used in his automail. This repairs his arm and recovers 5% damage for Ed. There is also low end lag to this.
If the projectile was an explosive, such as Snake’s Grenades, Samus’ Missiles, or Link’s Bombs, Ed will transmutate the weapon into a metal sphere the size of a smoke ball item. There is low end lag after this, and then Ed can use the metal sphere like a throwing item. It deals 9% and minor set knockback, disappearing the moment it hits something. Note that Ed cannot transmutate items he is holding, they have to be caught out of the air for this move to work.
Up Special - The Bigger They Are…Edward reaches out with his left arm in an obvious attempt to grab his enemy. This has below average startup lag, and Ed’s hand does in fact have a grab-hitbox. There is also below average lag if Ed misses with the grab. What happens when he does catch his foe is an entirely other matter…
If Edward grabs an enemy around the same HEIGHT (overall size does not matter, just the height of the character from the ground to the top of their character model) as himself, He will grab them by the collar and then deliver a strong punch with his right arm straight to their face, dealing 9% and average knockback that KOs around 160%. There is average end lag to this.
If Ed grabs someone half his height or less, he will hold his hand around the top of their head as he chuckles arrogantly for a moment, and then he kicks them away with his regular leg for 6% and rather lower than average knockback that KOs around 210% or so for average end lag. Examples of characters like this are Captain Olimar and Mewthree.
If Ed grabs someone at least 50% taller than he is, a third and final outcome will occur. Ed will reach up as high as he can to try and grab them by the head, but he can’t quite do it. Ed then grabs the enemy with his other arm and pulls them down straight into his automail knee. Ouch! This deals a nice 13% and KOs around 120%. This version of the attack has above average end lag, but the knockback of the move means that it won’t really matter in a 1v1 match. Characters who would be hurt by this are Ganondorf and Alphonse.
This move works entirely differently if used in the air. In that case, Ed will kick-off from the air like a literal third jump that goes as high as Sonic’s Spring, but has no hitbox, and Ed will enter free-fall afterwards. There is low lag on both ends of the move. If there is an enemy that would be affected by the “taller” variation of the ground attack, and he is within 1/3 of Battlefield’s main platform away from Ed, Ed will angle his jump so that he leaps towards that evil jerk who dares to make Ed look like a shrimp, even going downwards if need be. If Ed doesn’t reach the enemy (such as them getting out of the way), he will simply enter freefall at the end of his leap, but if he does reach them, he will kick off their head with the same effect as a footstool jump, and then Ed cannot use this move again until he hits the ground. If there are multiple enemies who qualify to be the target of this move, Ed will aim for the nearest one.
Important Note: The KO percents for all variations of the move still apply to middleweights, so tall characters (who are usually heavier) do not necessarily die sooner even though their variation of the move deals more knockback.
Down Special -Chemical Rearrangement
Ed quickly performs a gut punch with his regular arm as a small tinge of alchemic energy flows around his fingers. This has below average startup lag, above average end lag and the punch has below average priority. It deals 9% with above average set vertical knockback. Despite its mediocre raw stats, the enemy wants to avoid this attack for one simple reason. You see, if Ed connects with this attack, the alchemy he was initiating on his fingers will effectively reshape the chemical compounds that make up his opponent into a weaker form. This causes an immediate visual effect on the opponent, such as ROB rusting, or Ike looking pale and sick. This lasts for 6 seconds, and during that time the enemy will take 1.5 times the damage from moves, with no increase in knockback, and the effect does not stack. Considering this doubles as a pop-up move and Ed’s air-game is suited for building up damage, I’d say that any self-respecting Ed player will want to take any opportunity they can get to potentially land this thing. What’s also nice about this move is that this works on any structures or summons the opponent has active as well, or even stage hazards such as the pillars in Luigi’s Mansion. If it can be damaged, it is a potential victim for this move!
Jab Combo -Blade Slice
Ed quickly performs a horizontal slice with the blade on his right arm. Though it is attached to Ed, the blade is in fact a disjointed hitbox (I guess due to being a weapon), and it deals 6% with knockback that KOs around 165%%. While the blade is a decent length as seen in the picture at the top, it is the only hitbox of the attack so Ed has a bit of a blind spot directly in front of himself where he’s just swinging the normal portion of his arm.
Upon the second press of the attack button, Ed will swing his arm back to its regular position. This deals 8% with low set knockback. While this is a nicely damaging combo, the fact that the first hit deals some actual knockback means that at higher percents the enemy can avoid the second hit combined with DI…
In those cases, hold forwards on the control stick when you input the second attack for a different outcome. In this case, Ed will hop forwards the length of a crouching Snake while performing a slash with the blade. This one deals less damage than the regular second hit (5%), but besides the enhanced range, this hit deals slightly higher knockback, though it’s still set.
There’s one final option you have for the second attack if you hold back on the control stick. In that case, Ed will kick backwards with his left leg (the automail one). This doesn’t have a huge amount of range due to the awkward position Ed is kicking from, but it deals a decent 8% and knockback that can KO at around 170%. It also has decent priority. Since the move hits behind Ed, this is a situational option from the first hit when playing a 2 player match, but it can be great for crowd control in a free-for-all and team games.
Forward Tilt -Explosive Palm
Ed’s decided to be a bit more violent with the alchemy than usual with this attack. Sure, he’s just thrusting forwards his automail arm with the palm open…and then a big-*** explosion of red-colored alchemic energy bursts forth from his hand! This blast takes up an area .75 times the size of Kirby, is disjointed, and deals a respectable 13% with knockback that can KO around 140%. And the startup lag is overall below average too! There are a few things to consider before you start trying to spam this move, however. First, it has above average end lag as the bolts all fizzle out, making this quite punishable should Ed fail to actually connect with the darn thing. Second, the raw power Ed is exerting with this move puts a tremendous strain on him, causing him to be worn out for 5 seconds. During that time, all of Ed’s moves will be down 2 levels of stale-move negation. Ed’s moves cannot go lower than the natural lowest limit to stale-move negation, and when Ed has recovered his strength the effects will completely go away, though Ed will retain any natural negation he has built up during that time. Consider this a high-risk/high-reward KO move, if you will.
Down Tilt -Makeshift Projectile
Ed places a single hand onto the ground and begins to do some sort of alchemic process. After .45 seconds, a stone ball that is the size of a pokeball will be formed underneath Ed’s hand as he picks it up. The stone ball is a throwing item that deals 5% with pitiful knockback that won’t even KO at 999%. Surely there must be some use to this thing?
Fortunately, there is. The ball does not disappear until it is thrown into a pit. This means that enemies can pick up the ball whenever Ed misses. But this just makes the move even worse! However, if the enemy throws the ball back at Ed, it is perfectly viable for Ed to catch it with his side-special. Ed performs a special transmutation on the ball, turning it from stone into a special type of metal. The most immediate gameplay difference is that this ball deals 10%, but with the same poor knockback. The other difference is that the ball is now magnetic…
Up Tilt - Spike Wave
Ed claps his hands together as a spike made out of the ground directly in front of him shoots out from said ground. It is as tall as Ike and as wide as Marth. It is disjointed and deals 12% with vertical knockback that KOs around 137%. There is average startup lag to the move. Right after the first spike shoots out, up to 5 more spikes will shoot out of the ground in succession, each one front directly in front of the previous one as the previous one retracts into the ground, looking like a wave shape.. If there is not enough room on the ground the extra spikes will not shoot out, making spacing important for this move to work fully. There is low end lag to the move as Ed can move around while the last spike is retracting back into the ground.
Besides being a decent KO option or spacing move, this can also be utilized together with a transmutation circle. The spike wave begins from the center of the circle and will then continue on from there. Note that Ed will end the spike wave prematurely if the next spike would otherwise strike Ed himself. This keeps the move from self-damaging Ed, but it also makes it important to take account where Ed is in relation to his circle.
Dash Attack - Sprinting Leap
To put it simply, Ed springs off from off from the ground, performing a strong horizontal jump on a low trajectory that covers 1/3 of battlefield’s main platform. This otherwise functions just like a regular jump, so Ed can perform a midair jump, air-dodge, or use one of his aerial attacks from this position. Short-hopping aerials was never so easy!
Forward Smash -Ground Wave
Ed slams both of his hands onto the ground as alchemy energy crackles against the ground for a moment. Not long afterwards, the very ground in front of Ed actually begins to deform and bulge upwards, continuing along the entire platform like a wave. The formation is as tall as Ed, as wide as DK, and travels at a slightly below average speed along the platform until it reaches the end. The formation is a disjointed hitbox that deals no damage but does inflict good knockback that KOs around 95% (75% charged). It’s also impossible to avoid this attack with dodge moves since the wave is wide enough to expand into the background/foreground. There is average startup and end lag to the move, and make sure to take note that Ed is vulnerable the entire time the move is going on as he has to remain in this position in order to keep the attack going. If Ed is hit out of this move animation, the wave will instantly cease. Interestingly, any structures or trap-moves on the affected ground will simply ride-out the wave, though summons are just as susceptible as ever to being launched off the stage.
This move can be used with Ed’s transmutation circles, but there is a danger to doing so. Since the wave travels in the direction Ed is facing, if Ed was on the left side of the circle and attacks to the left, the wave would actually damage him! Ed will in fact take the same knockback as enemies if he hits himself with the wave, and as usual the wave will disappear the moment it strikes Ed out of the summoning position.
Down Smash - Granite Saw
Ed kneels down very close to the ground and slams both of his hands onto it, causing two thin sharp blades made out of the ground to quickly rise out of the ground on each side of him. They are Mario’s height above the ground, as wide as DK, and are Sonic’s height in distance from Ed. After rising out of the ground, the two natural weapons spin around Ed at a high speed, making a buzz-saw sound as they do so. The hitbox is somewhat challenging to hit with considering it’s so thin vertically and the blades only hit in those two locations in their flight path where they are not in the foreground or background. The blades are disjointed and deal 16% (28% charged) and KO at 130% (110% charged). There is below average startup lag to the move, the blades spin for .45 seconds, and there is below average end lag as the blades crumble into pieces.
This move can be used with the transmutation circles. In this case, the center of the circle is the center point where the blades are spaced from. Since Ed is kneeling down when doing this attack the blades will just pass right over his head should he be too close to the circle.
Up Smash - Fist of Mother Nature
Not to be confused with that Nature rule 63 in Make Your Move 5. Anyways, like with his other smashes, Ed places his hands on the ground as some alchemic process beings. What’s he going to do this time? Right in front of himself, a stone arm will burst from the ground. It is as wide as DK and reaches up as far as 1.2 times Ganondorf’s height. Its hand is open as it slowly rises out of the ground to its max length, which takes .7 seconds. While it is rising, the arm and hand are a solid obstacle and characters can even stand on top of the open palm. There is low startup lag to summon the arm to begin with.
After the arm reaches out the mentioned distance, it will suddenly clench its hand into a fist. This has a grab hitbox. Anybody caught by the hand as it does this will take 12% (21% charged) and be thrown forwards by the arm for knockback that KOs around 100% (88% charged). After doing this, or if it didn’t catch anybody to begin with, the arm will then quickly sink back into the ground for below average end lag. While it sinks enemies can pass straight through it to punish Ed, who is immobile the entire time as he has to keep the alchemy going.
This move can be used with Ed’s transmutation circles. If Ed is standing on top of the circle as he performs the move, he will rise up as the hand sprouts underneath him, but Ed is too smart to grab himself with his own weapon. The move will end as Ed is safely standing on the hand. The hand will remain there until Ed uses this move again, in which case he will simply make the hand perform the grab and finish the move like normal.
Neutral Aerial - Stone Mortar
The first part of this attack is simple enough. Ed will clap his hands together in front of himself as his aerial movement stops. This has practically no startup lag, and the clap has below average priority. It deals a nice 14% but only minor knockback that would easily take until 225% or so for a KO. There is above average end lag to the clap, but fortunately there is enough hitstun that a damaged opponent can’t retaliate against Ed during it.
At the same time Ed claps, if there is some ground below and right in front of him that is at least as wide as Kirby, a stone spike will shoot out from the ground that is the same size as Marth. If there are several layers of platforms within that area, the topmost layer will be where the spike shoots from. Anyways, this projectile forged from the ground a shoots upwards as fast as Falco’s blaster until it hits something. It has average priority, and deals 10% with low set vertical knockback. This can be used with a transmutation circle, which allows Ed to utilize this part of the attack even when there is no ground in front of him, whee! If the spike happens to cross paths with Ed, it will simply pass through him.
Forward Aerial - Furious Kick
The Fullmetal Alchemist unleashes a rapid series of kicks with his regular leg, looking similar to Fox’s AAA kicks in the air. He delivers 10 kicks over .6 seconds, with each one having low priority and dealing 2%. It is somewhat difficult to DI out of the kicks since the enemy is pulled along with Ed’s movement, but thankfully the last hit deals rather minor knockback that would take until 250% to ever score a KO. There is low startup lag to the move, with just below average end lag.
If you input for this move like a smash attack, Ed pulls back his automail leg before delivering a powerful aerial spinning kick that hits to both sides of Ed in sequence. If you hold the attack button as you do it, Ed will begin to charge the move like a normal smash attack. The actual kick deals 13% (25% charged) with nice knockback that can KO around 135% uncharged, and 115% fully charged. This move has average startup and end lag, and good priority. If Ed lands on the ground while charging, the move will automatically end as Ed performs his regular landing animation. This is Edward’s sole KO move in the air, use it wisely.
Back Aerial -Fullmetal Marksman
Ed quickly turns around as his automail arm transmutates into what looks like a traditional machine gun (average startup lag) before opening fire! 10 shots are fired from the gun at the same rate as Shiek’s needles. The bullets travel forwards as far as one battlefield platform. They are incredibly small like real bullets and travel so fast through their path that technically speaking the path of the bullets is just a long, thin, invisible disjointed hitbox. The only time you see any graphical effects from the bullet is when they strike an enemy, in which case you see a small hit-flash effect where the bullet connected. Each bullet deals 1% with slight hit-stun for the next one to connect, and since Ed completes the entire move even when he lands it’s possible to trap the enemy for all 10 hits, but the final bullet does not deal any real knockback. After firing all of the bullets, Ed’s arm turns back to normal for below average end lag, and he remains turned around.
If you input for this move like a smash attack, Ed will instead transmutate his mechanical arm into a shotgun for the same startup lag. This time, Ed fires a single blast that creates a hitbox .6 times the size of Kirby in front of the barrel. This deals an impressive 16% with some actual knockback, but it still won’t KO until 190% or so. Other properties of the move remain the same.
Up Aerial -Magnetized Knife
Edward harshly swings his automail arm’s blade upwards, covering the entire area in front of himself and directly above himself in the attack. This is a disjointed hitbox that deals 13% with knockback that KOs at 190%. Low startup lag with average end lag.
During the end lag of the move, we can see Ed hold his other arm against his automail one as the metal begins to shine. No, Ed is not cleaning his arm, but in fact transmutating it into a magnetic substance. With a magnetic arm, all metallic objects that come within an area the size of Bowser around Ed will slowly be pulled towards him. This can make it easier for enemy projectiles to hit you since metallic ones will curve their trajectory as they are pulled towards Ed, but it can also pull in metallic characters! Any robot masters who rely on camping will not be too pleased when Ed pulls them in for close combat. In order to deactivate the magnetic ability, perform this move again and Ed will change his arm back to the regular material.
Hey, didn’t one of Ed’s previous moves involve magnetic stuff? Oh right, the DTilt! When Ed changes the stone sphere into that metallic form, he can pull it along just like anything else. If Ed is holding the sphere with his arm in magnetic mode and he throws it, the sphere will stop just short of the edge of the magnetic field before being pulled back towards Ed. Besides giving you a quick close range “projectile” that can be replenished (imagine Falco’s Reflector in terms of usage), since there is no lag to throwing a projectile Ed can basically keep moving while the ball trails behind him, acting as a hitbox the entire time. Be warned, however, that if somebody “reflects” the sphere, it will now damage Ed once it returns to him.
Down Aerial - Cement Wall
Ed thrusts both of his hands outwards and downwards for .4 seconds in front of his chest. There is low startup and end lag to this. His arms and hands form a low-priority hitbox that deals 14% for the first few frames and just 7% after that. In either case, the knockback is rather low, taking until 220% or so for a KO.
If Ed hits the ground while the hitbox for the move is out, he will instantly kneel down and place his hands on the ground as some of that alchemic energy you know and love crackles on the ground below him. .3 seconds later, a wall of cement springs up from the ground that is twice as tall as Ed and as wide as Kirby, with Ed standing on top of the thing the entire time. It takes .6 seconds for the cement wall to fully emerge, during which time Ed has super-armor. There is below average end lag afterwards. The wall has 20 HP and though it is solid, enemies cannot grab the edges of it. Ed can only have one of these walls on the stage at a time, if he attempts to make another once he will just have normal landing lad with no other effects. As a special bonus, Alphonse can use his FThrow on Ed’s walls for the same hitstun bonus as when Al uses his FThrow on the walls he creates with his own USmash. Finally, the blades Ed summons with his DSmash can actually cut the wall at the height they connect with it, allowing you to shorten it for whatever reason, such as helping a teammate shoot projectiles over it.
Spear Alchemy
Upon inputting for this grab, Ed places his hands on the ground and through Alchemy transforms part of the ground in a long spear (the length of Ike’s sword) that he quickly grabs in both of his hands. This whole animation happens over .6 seconds, and then Ed is free to move around while holding the spear.
Ed is free to move, shield and dodge like normal while holding the spear, but his attack inputs have changed. When you press the attack button on the ground, Ed will thrust the spear straight ahead, and he holds it so that it reaches as far as Marth’d Shield Breaker. There is below average startup and end lag to this. The point of the spear has a grab-hitbox, and if Ed catches someone on it, he will hold them in place as the enemy has to dislodge themselves from the spear like a normal grab. For every half a second they are stuck on the spear, they take 1% damage. Upon pressing the attack button with the enemy on the spear, Ed will kick them off with his automail leg in a similar fashion to Ganondorf’s FTilt, dealing 10% with decent knockback that KOs around 140%.
If you hold up on the control stick while inputting for the attack on the ground, Ed will thrust the spear straight upwards for the same lag as the regular version. If catches someone with the spear-tip this time, they will take 10% as Ed immediately swings the spear downwards, launching off the enemy on an almost purely horizontal trajectory that can score KOs at 125%. This is purely an anti-air move due to the hitbox being completely vertical above Ed.
If you press the attack button in the air, Ed will drop straight down while holding the spear straight down and close to his body. This has average startup lag, and Ed drops at a good speed until he hits the ground (or Edcides into a pit). The spear-tip is right below Ed’s feet the entire time, and if he catches someone on it, they take 8% and are dragged down with Ed until he lands. At that point, he will swing them off the spear for an additional 5% with below average knockback that KOs around 180%. Regardless of Ed catching someone or not, there is average end lag to the move as Ed either pulls his spear out of the ground or simply returns to his regular stance with the spear after attacking a victim.
When you are done using Ed’s “throws”, press the special attack button. Ed will then throw away the spear into the background for below average end lag and return to his regular move set.
Rising Attack (Front) -Rolling Uppercut
Ed rolls forwards as far as he is tall and at the end of his roll he claps to start an alchemic process. Ed is completely invincible as he rolls, just like a regular roll. As he claps, a small stone fist suddenly bursts out of the ground where he originally was, that is as tall as Kirby. The stone fist is disjointed and deals 10% with vertical knockback that KOs around 160%. There is average end lag as the fist recedes back into the ground, which is one reason to use an actual roll over this attack.
Rising Attack (Back) -Ground Fusion
Ed quickly claps his hands together as his body actually fuses into the ground until he has completely disappeared underneath the surface. This take about .55 seconds. Once Ed is in the ground, you may “move” him left or right with the control stick at a slow speed. There is no indication of where he is in the ground, but he will not move past the edge of the platform he’s on. Once you press the attack button again, Ed will rematerialize from the ground in his standing position over .5 seconds, being invincible the entire time. Alternativley, he will automatically come out after 2 seconds, perhaps due to lack of air.
Ledge Attack -Counterfeit Gold
Ed tightens his grip on the platform as a pile of solid gold springs out from the ground over .5 second. Then Ed quickly climbs back onto the stage. The gold is in the background and just as tempting as ever. The gold bars stay there until an enemy walks over them. They will then look at the gold longingly but then in a flash of light the gold turns into bricks. Looking at the gold is the equivalent of stunning them for 1 second, giving Ed the perfect chance to perform a powerful move. There can only be one pile of gold on the stage; if Ed uses this move again, the current pile will fall apart as the new one is formed. Note that Ed’s opponents will only be affected if they are on the ground; if they pass by the gold in the air they are immune to its effect. This attack does not change when Ed reaches 100% damage.
Tripped Attack - Slash Twister
Ed quickly leaps off the ground and rises as high as twice Ganondorf’s height while spinning around, holding out his automail blade the entire time. His blade is a disjointed hitbox that deals 10% with knockback that KOs around 160%. Ed keeps spinning as he falls back down and lands on his feet with low end lag.
Fullmetal Cannon
Ed clenches his hands into fists as he yells “Stop jerking me around!” He then slams his hands upon the ground (he will leap to the nearest platform if he is in the air) and starts a very vicious alchemic reaction. The ground beneath him begins to quake as a massive cannon the height of Ganondorf and twice the width of Bowser appears on the stage, facing the largest group of enemies.
3 seconds after it is summoned, Ed yells “We’ll see who’s small when you’re just a bunch of ashes!” The cannon then fires a massive cannonball 1.6 times the size of Kirby towards the enemies. It travels until it hits something, at which point it bursts in an explosion the size of Giga Bowser, dealing 30% with knockback that KOs around 50% to anything caught within it. Ed is immune as he forms a “bunker” of sorts around himself as he’s preparing to fire.
Of course, you could spot-dodge the blast, but there’s an even better option. Shoot the inside of the cannon with any type of explosive projectile. That will cause the cannon to backfire, resulting in Ed being the one who goes BOOM taking the same damage and knockback as the cannonball would.
Overall Strategy
So you want to play the Fullmetal Alchemist, eh? Well I certainly hope you are well versed in a variety of aspects to Smash Bros gameplay, as you will need all of them to master Ed. Playing Ed demands a balance between several different types of playstyles.
First of all is the all-important damage racking. In the beginning of the match you’ll want to immediately try to get both yourself and your opponent into the air at once. One great way to do this is to set up a wall from the Dair so that even ground-based characters will be forced into the air to jump over it. Alternativley you could use Chemical Rearrangment in order to launch your opponent while also making them more susceptible to damage. One you are in the midst of aerial combat, the fun begins. You’ll want to play rather aggressively using Ed’s quick aerials in order to rack up the damage while your opponent can’t react fast enough to take advantage of the overall low-priority of Ed’s air game. While Uair and Bair are disjointed, they are also more punishable than the other aerials so you won’t want to spam them. When fighting a tall opponent you should mix in some aerial Up Specials for a footstool combo. If you’re opponent insists on staying grounded during this phase of the game, use Ed’s dash attack to try and hit them with low aerials, but be warned that this will get predicable after a short time. Ed’s throws won’t be doing you any favors at this point; they are too laggy and unorthodox to be used as traditional damaging tools.
So you’ve got your enemy up to a nice damage percent. Ed is fortunate in that he has some moves that KO rather early. However, you now have to change gears almost entirely. Instead of an aggressive aerial approach, you want to stick to the ground and play defensively, being more conservative about when you want to attempt your somewhat laggy finishers. Try to set up a magnetic sphere via your DTilt and Side Special if possible so you can use it in order to give you a boomerang of sorts to help you ward of opponents for the spacing needed to pull off a powerful blow. Against tall enemies don’t forget that you have an additional KO option with your Up Special. It’s absolutely necessary that you find a way to land a KO move, as Ed doesn’t have any reliable edge-guarding strategies, let alone a true gimping move. At least your throws will come into play at this stage of the game. If need be you also have the second variation of the Fair for a KO against an opponent who constantly remains airborne, most noob Ed players forget about his aerial KO option.
Ed’s transmutation circles are an interesting dimension to his gameplan. With them you can hit opponents with moves that otherwise wouldn’t, and a few even change their properties with a circle active. However, it is not always wise to utilize this ability, considering it stops you from using the moves at close range unless you happen to be near the transmutation circle. And of course, there’s the kill-yourself FSmash…
Ed is squarely a middle-weight, which isn’t bad on its own, but with his recovery you wish he was like Bowser. Ed has no recovery options outside of his rather poor Up Special, and even with the bonus effect tall characters would be stupid to let you use it on them. Combine that with Ed’s previously mentioned lousy gimping options and you realize that it is best to stay as far away from the edge as possible.
Overall, Ed is a character who requires the player to shift between two contrasting styles of play that in the end complement each other. Ed needs to play aggressively in the air to build damage then play defensively on the ground to KO, all the while dealing with his air-game’s poor priority and his ground game’s general slowness. And be sure to keep solid ground below you at all times. Casual players will still at least like Ed for his magical abilities, while competitive players will be able to fully master both sides to Edward’s game and unleash the full might of the Fullmetal Alchemist.
Matchups
Vs Meta Knight: 90/10 Meta Knight’s favor
Meta Knight has a godly offstage game that plays a big part of his playstyle, Ed has a terrible offstage game. The moment Ed is sent over the edge he’s as good as dead, while Meta Knight will always recover until he is outright KO’d. Sure, Meta Knight is light enough that he would be in KO percentage very quickly…except that his aerial game can shut down Ed’s. Meta Knight’s aerial attacks are just as fast as Ed’s if not faster and they have disjointed hitboxes to boot, as well as being useful defensive tools against Ed’s aggressiveness in the air. If Ed does somehow get him up to KO percents he’ll still have lots of trouble dealing the final blow since Meta Knight likes to stay in the air where Ed’s KO moves won’t hit him. Overall there is little Ed can do in this matchup with Meta Knight seemingly being designed to counter Ed in every way.
Vs Snake: 70/30 Ed’s favor
After being countered by the best character in the standard roster, Ed redeems himself by countering the second best character in the standard roster! Grenades won’t work too well when Ed transmutates them into his own items. While Snake is trying to camp, Ed can approach somewhat close and set up a wall with his Dair then prepare a transmutation circle behind the wall. Snake’s air game is rather poor and is easily punished by Ed’s which makes forcing an approach extremely nice for Ed. Ed’s FSmash can go past the wall when Snake is at a high percent and can be difficult for Snake to avoid, and if he is forced to use Cypher he is already dead as Ed’s spear grab allows him to easily peform a Cypher gimp. If Snake could competently fight in the air this matchup would probably be even, but as it stands Ed has the tools to take the game.
Vs King Dedede: 50/50
The big thing that always comes up in Dedede matchups is the infamous chaingrab. Well, Ed won’t be creating walls anytime soon with his Dair, but he does have one trick against the evil DThrow. If Ed has a magnetic sphere and his arm in magnetic mode, if he throws the sphere up as Dedede is about to grab him, the sphere will get in the way of the penguin king on its return flight and stop him from performing another grab. Dedede could always use a different throw but the point is that a chain grab is difficult to do against Ed.
Now that that’s resolved, let’s move on to the other parts of this game. Ed won’t have a huge amount of trouble dealing damage to Dedede considering he is vulnerable to Up-B footstool combos and Ed can use his Bair to space against Dedede’s own Bair. Dedede can’t camp with Waddle Dee as they register in the side-special as throwing items, thereby healing Ed. Dedede can still apply decent pressure to Ed by spacing with FTilt and overall remaining on the ground while using UTilt to block Ed’s aerials. The biggest thing Dedede has going for him is his sheer survivability with heavy weight and a great recovery. This means that Ed will have to damage rack for a while before even attempting KOs while Dedede can KO and gimp him early enough. Overall both characters have a lot of counters against each other, making this about which player can steer the game in his direction.
Vs Metal Man: 70/30 Ed’s Favor
On one hand you may think it would be a bad idea to use Ed’s Uair considering how it would make all of Metal Man’s attacks have slight homing capabilities. However, Ed’s Uair will also make Metal Man himself be pulled in towards Ed! Combine this with Ed’s quick low-knockback aerials and suddenly Ed will rack up damage absurdly fast as Metal Man is essentially combo food as long as they are both in the air. When it comes time for the KO, Metal Man will have a bit of an easier time setting up some traps while Ed switches to cautious-mode, but since Ed can rack up so much damage on the Robot Master it won’t be long before Ed can just casually bypass all of Metal Man’s traps with an FSmash or transmutation circle. Overall Metal Man has to be precise and masterful with his stage control and spacing games while Ed can deal heavy damage the moment he gets an opening.
Vs Alphonse: 50/ 50
At the beginning of the match Al will be busy setting up his transmutation circles; this is the time to abuse Ed’s aerials to heck and back. Al’s own aerial attacks are average at best without the special effects granted by his circles, so Ed can be sure to build up a nice amount of damage in this time. Ed’s dair is not a good option in this matchup since Al can use the wall to chain-grab and Ed’s smaller stature means that he is rather vulnerable to them. If you see Al set-up his own walls Ed can use his down special on the wall so that if he is chaingrabbed he will end up taking less damage as the wall breaks sooner. While Ed is small enough to be chaingrabbed and does not have an easy time controlling Al, Alphonse in turn is more vulnerable to Ed’s up-special.
The KOing phase is also quite interesting. Alphonse’s FSmash is somewhat risky as Ed can transmutate and heal himself with Al’s head. On the flipside, Ed’s own FSmash is usually not a good idea as Al can simply activate his Dair earthquake while Ed is keeping the wave alive. While neither character can gimp each other very well, Ed does have other standard KO options while Alphonse will be relying on his decent weight to survive long enough to hit Ed with things such as a DTilt trap. Overall, Edward and Alphonse have a rather balanced matchup with a lot of back-and-forth advantages. And anyways, why fight when Ed and Al can form a great doubles team, with Al taking advantage of some of the special bonuses Ed’s own neutral special and Dair grant him.
Vs Roy Mustang: 70/30 Mustang’s favor
The damage racking phase already presents an issue for Ed. Mustang’s attacks may have low priority but Ed’s aerials do as well, while Mustang will be using his superior spacing to stop Ed from ever reaching him to begin with. It’s actually better for Ed to approach from the ground and try to time his ground moves so that he can immediately destroy one or both of Mustang’s gloves, but even then Mustang’s jab, which is usable without gloves, still has a disjointed hitbox. Once Ed gets Mustang up to KO percents he’ll have a much easier time as he can take a step back and use things like FSmash and his transmutation circles to hit Mustang through his blind spots, but even then Ed will still have to get the Flame Alchemist into position for these KOs. Ed has some severe difficulties trying to build damage while still having a bit of trouble KOing in the end, giving this match to his superior officer.
Vs Tryclyde: 60/40 Ed’s favor
It is absolutely vital for Ed to perform well in the damage racking phase while Tryclyde still only has one head. This is when his priority will be lowest, meaning that Ed’s aerials can actually potentially matchup to Tryclyde’s. Of course, during this time Tryclyde will be attempting spacing with his other, better priority moves to grow extra heads, but if Ed keeps up close-range pressure the snake will be forced into attempting moves such as his Fair and Uair for a quick hit. Since Tryclyde’s traps and summons for spacing are all ground-based this gives Ed more motivation to stick to his aerial game and beat up a solo-head Tryclyde before he has less of a need to use those tools. Once Tryclyde gets another head, if Ed still has a lot to go to get the snake into KO range he’s basically screwed as Tryclyde can more freely use his higher priority moves to demolish Ed. On the bright side, Ed’s FSmash can destroy Cobrats and Tweeters due to being summons, and Tryclyde’s size combined with the laggier moves he has in 3-head mode means that Ed won’t have too much trouble KOing him no matter how many heads he has. While Ed can potentially be demolished if he fails to sufficiently build damage before facing a fully formed hydra, this is overall a bit in Ed’s favor due to the ways he can damage rack against Tryclyde as well as his easier time KOing him.
Vs Heatran: 65/35 Heatran’s favor
First off, Heatran’s lava is unaffected by Ed’s FSmash, so just try to avoid it. Fortunately the lava all rests on the ground so it won’t be interfering while Ed’s damage racking. Of course, damage racking still isn’t very easy against Heatran due to his aerial game having good speed and priority as well as usually being strong to boot. If possible Ed should keep Heatran on the ground with his up-special footstool as Heatran is a large target and he has no reliable anti-air options against Ed’s aggressive aerial fighting. Once Heatran gets into KO range (which might take awhile unless he uses overheat), Ed should take extra caution as Heatran has some excellent punishment tools such as his dash attack. This is almost a reverse of the Tryclyde matchup; Ed can potentially deal some heavy damage to Heatran but the Lava Dome Pokemon has some damage-racking tricks of his own as well as being superior when it comes time for KOs.
Vs Sloth: 65/35 Ed’s favor
So Ed racks up the damage on Sloth, no problem. Sloth can’t use his tombs effectively as Ed can strike through the ground with his UTilt, FSmash, USmash, and Nair. While Sloth can still use his side-special to punish Ed’s laggy finishers, Ed wants to play defensively when going for KO anyways. Ed is free to spam FSmash and set-up transmutation circles while Sloth can’t really do much himself to approach Ed to take him out. The main advantage Sloth has is that he can simply bind himself to a platform which makes it trickier for Ed to play as defensively during his KO phase. Overall Ed seems to have great counters to Sloth during both phases of his gameplay while Sloth can’t really do a lot himself.
Kirby Hat
Kirby gets Ed’s hair, no surprises in that regard. But wait, how is Kirby supposed to use Transmutation Circles when he has no alchemy! Well, even though it’s a bit of a stretch, Kirby can use them in conjunction with the energy wave unleashed with his Final Cutter up-special. Besides that, he is still able to use them with other Alchemists characters in team battles, making this hat more valuable in doubles play than singles.
Special Animations
Up Taunt: Ed claps his hands together as to start an alchemic process, but nothing happens. As he does this, he jokingly says, “sorry, just and old habit of mine.”
Side Taunt: Ed looks at his automail arm and he clenches it into a fist, then he immediately returns his focus to the battle.
Down Taunt: Ed faces the screen and takes out a bottle of milk, and he goes to drink it like Young Link’s taunt in Melee…but then Ed remembers that he hates milk, and immediately throws the bottle away into the background with a look of disgust on his face.
Victory Animation 1: Ed gives a thumbs-up and says, "That's alchemy for you!
Victory Animation 2: Ed folds his arms and chuckles before saying “See? It’s not that I’m small, you’re just a huge target!” Ed will not perform this victory animation if his opponent was affected by the “tall” version of Ed’s up-special.
Victory Animation 3: Ed starts to draw a transmutation circle, but then he stops for a moment before saying “Why am I doing this?” He then claps his hands together as a ground wave like the one from his FSmash rolls by in the background, knocking over the losers.
Loss Animation: Ed claps in a friendly manner, with little sparks of alchemic energy appearing each time he claps
Win Animation on a Team with Alphonse: Ed and Al are standing in front of a crowd of people, the losers among the crowd. A random person comes up to Alphonse and says “Oh…You must be the Full Metal Alchemist because of that armor, right?” Ed is clearly frustrated while Al says “Uhhh. . .That’s actually not me. That’s my brother, Edward.” and points to Ed. Another random person laughs and says “Him? Just look at the guy! He’s a shrimp!” This infuriates Ed even further as he yells out “WHO’RE YOU CALLIN’ A MICROSCOPIC SHRIMP?!?” as he angrily chases the man off stage. The crowd of people laugh at this and Alphonse facepalms.
Snake Codec
Snake: Otacon, who’s this little sh-
Otacon: No Snake! We can’t say the s-word!
Snake: Huh? I’m not gonna say THAT, I was just gonna call him a-
Otacon: I know, Snake. But it’s best if we don’t call him that.
Snake: Come one, the guy’s a member of the military. He can’t be that sensitive to being called a shrimp.
Ed: HEY WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHRIMP I’LL SHOW YOU YOU’RE JUST A FREAKING GIANT MAYBE SOME OF US AREN’T ABNORMALLY TALL!
Snake: I hate it when I’m wrong…
Assist Trophy -Maes Hughes
Hughes is one of Ed’s allies in the military and Roy Mustang’s closest friend. When Hughes is summoned, he and the summoner will face each other and salute. Hughes then speaks in a very grim voice: “I have some important intel to bring you….” His voice and posture suddenly become very cheerful as he pulls out a photo of his 3-year old daughter and says “My little angel is going to pre-school soon! Oh isn’t this wonderful! I can’t wait till…” he just goes on and on like this is a fast-paced speech for about 7 seconds, but fortunately his summoner is invincible during this time, although the character is visibly annoyed by Hughes’ rant. If an enemy walks by Hughes during this time he’ll casually kick them away for 8% and knockback that is surprisingly strong, KOing around 140%. Basically, Hughes is like a more useful version of Resetti that doesn’t make it impossible for anyone to see what they’re doing in the middle of a free-for-all.
Wart: Great move set, he dosen't really fall far from other heavy weights (well I don't feel he does) but he pulls everything other heavy weights can do and even more. It was great seeing some of his attack interact with his troops on stage. Well organized and the color is easy on the eyes.
Hmm.. HRs's Edward Elric.
(Im not much good for reviewing, but I'll try...) I think there is one typo as in the down smash "Causing two thing sharp blades" didn't you mean thin? Ed's a killer at mindgames with his smashes. The grab mechanic is interesting, but well, could have MAYBE, been a bit better. With the Rising attack (back), I am sure that you did not put a timer for how long Ed could be in the ground for, or maybe its common sense (Or the .5 second thing at the end of the attack). The Final Smash seems a bit weak, it may not matter at all, but it should maybe instantly KO, but yet again that's too strong for a cannon (Never mind me on the FS).
It's a pretty good set, but I think you have done better with some of your other previous works like Seaforce, Mewthree, Black Doom and so on...
Finally, I am surprised to a massive extent that you included my Heatran in the match-ups. Never expected that at all. WOW. Like, I expected Seaforce or Raiden, not Heatran. Anyway, that's enough of my idle chit chat.
If this happens and MYM becomes insane on statistics I may lose the will to ever make a set again = \
On a more positive note! I've read Wart and I like it, it's good but it seems rather similar to Tryclyde considering they both revolve heavily upon using minions to do most of their attacking...personally speaking, I prefered Tryclyde but that's just me!
Also, both of your movesets for this contest involve the character eating other characters, will that trend continue? o_O...
Agh I know how you feel. My Jade moveset would've been a model moveset back in MYM3. I guess things change a lot when you're away for two whole threads.
Hmm.. HRs's Edward Elric.
(Im not much good for reviewing, but I'll try...) I think there is one typo as in the down smash "Causing two thing sharp blades" didn't you mean thin? Ed's a killer at mindgames with his smashes. The grab mechanic is interesting, but well, could have MAYBE, been a bit better. With the Rising attack (back), I am sure that you did not put a timer for how long Ed could be in the ground for, or maybe its common sense (Or the .5 second thing at the end of the attack). The Final Smash seems a bit weak, it may not matter at all, but it should maybe instantly KO, but yet again that's too strong for a cannon (Never mind me on the FS).
It's a pretty good set, but I think you have done better with some of your other previous works like Seaforce, Mewthree, Black Doom and so on...
Finally, I am surprised to a massive extent that you included my Heatran in the match-ups. Never expected that at all. WOW. Like, I expected Seaforce or Raiden, not Heatran. Anyway, that's enough of my idle chit chat.
You are correct about me forgetting a time limit for the rising attack. Remember kids, never do potentially broken attacks late at night when you could forget a key detail.
Heatran was included in the match-ups because I liked that set and I wanted to give it more publicity. =)
Edward Elric:PLAGIARIST TWILTY MADE EDWARD ELRIC IN MYM5 Well, good job with this! I think you may have done better movesets but this one is very solid. Interesting attacks, interesting playstyle and a pseudo-grab that wasn't so simple that it made me want to kill a puppy (coughShelldercough). Good job!
You know, Dedede is an eagle- stop calling him a penguin king, people!
Ed feels like Ed, but at the same time doesn't. He's dynamic and the alchemy is inspired in some parts... but other parts just don't feel right. The repetition of "something shoots out of the ground" is... it's not the repetition itself, it's that his gameplay seems it would be choppy because of that. Edward was always a very close-up brawler. The long range stuff he came up with was his genius shining through in the last moment of need...
There's also some things where I think you missed a really great way to do something cooler than what you did. Your Up-B grab is extremely flavourful, but the aerial version... couldn't Ed have, like, rode some kind of explosion?
What about a mechanic where he loses parts of his automail, and his Up-B has him throw some weight from his automail away to exploit Newton's third?
But, everything is yet fun. The specials make my mind tingle with speculation, so that's win right there. Your neutral special might be unfair to Kirby, though.
I keep thinking, I don't know how the specials work in the air, and I wonder if down-B is balanced. Last big issue is I don't know how the throw works. Call me daft.
Codec is good concept.
It's a good set. Someone would have great expectations to meet making Ed, so it's commendable just to have come out with it. He's great, but not "slow clap" wow. I'd give you an 80% grade. ...
I will say though, MYM has come a really long way from where it was when it started. The quality in movesets that people have been making recently is just absolutely amazing.
I thought frame data can help to understand the mechanics of characters better, but then again, I love frame data
Ed feels like Ed, but at the same time doesn't. He's dynamic and the alchemy is inspired in some parts... but other parts just don't feel right. The repetition of "something shoots out of the ground" is... it's not the repetition itself, it's that his gameplay seems it would be choppy because of that. Edward was always a very close-up brawler. The long range stuff he came up with was his genius shining through in the last moment of need...
There's also some things where I think you missed a really great way to do something cooler than what you did. Your Up-B grab is extremely flavourful, but the aerial version... couldn't Ed have, like, rode some kind of explosion?
What about a mechanic where he loses parts of his automail, and his Up-B has him throw some weight from his automail away to exploit Newton's third?
But, everything is yet fun. The specials make my mind tingle with speculation, so that's win right there. Your neutral special might be unfair to Kirby, though.
I keep thinking, I don't know how the specials work in the air, and I wonder if down-B is balanced. Last big issue is I don't know how the throw works. Call me daft.
Codec is good concept.
It's a good set. Someone would have great expectations to meet making Ed, so it's commendable just to have come out with it. He's great, but not "slow clap" wow. I'd give you an 80% grade. ...
Yeah, it was difficult at first for me to find a balance between his close-combat skills and his infamous "use the ground as a weapon" alchemy that he does. That's part of how his playstyle came about, so during the damage racking portion he's doing a lot of close-up melee attacks while during the KO portion he's performing powerful Alchemy.
I decided to give the up-special that simple aerial use since the move was already starting to become really long and I didn't want to make one move become 2 pages in Microsoft word xD. As for mechanics, I don't normally do those unless I think of something really cool that I can do a lot with, such as my Bass and Treble moveset of MYM5.
I'll admit the down special was overpowered at first, but someone pointed it out to me soon after the guy was posted and I nerfed it. Now it's more of a high-risk/high-reward thing. For As for using the specials in the air, the side-special and down-special just do their animation but Ed is in the air, lol. There's a lot of moves in Brawl that do just that.
Thanks for the comments. Considering how many FMA fans there are in Make Your Move I knew there was a lot riding on this set, so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. =)
I will say though, MYM has come a really long way from where it was when it started. The quality in movesets that people have been making recently is just absolutely amazing.
I thought frame data can help to understand the mechanics of characters better, but then again, I love frame data
You seemed to highlight things a little too often, but that's just a minor nitpick. Overall I like Tryclyde better, but you did quite well with Wart.
