A wild TANOOKIE appears!
Storm (born Ororo Munroe to a Kenyan priestess and a photojournalist) is a mutant with the psionic ability to control the weather, both Earthly and extraterrestrial. She can create any sort of meteorological phenomena, including rain, tornadoes, mist, lightning, tsunamis, and hurricanes. In addition, she can dissipate any weather and form clear skies, whether she formed it or not. Storm is an extremely powerful mutant in even this simple sense of her power; alien Sentinels have identified her as an Omega-level mutant, though she is not formally listed as such.
Storm’s power also has many smaller facets that are useful in many situations; she can control lightning and wind in all its forms, and has used wind as a shield to block projectiles, as propulsion for herself and others to fly at high altitudes, and can use it to control other people, in mimicry of telekinesis. In addition to all of this, Storm’s control of the atmosphere is so masterful that she can use it on such subtle levels, such as manipulating the pressure inside one’s ear to cause them intense pain. She has also demonstrated the ability to bend light using moisture in the air to render herself partially transparent, if not completely invisible.
There are many other uses Storm has for her power, and most of them will be demonstrated in this set. One fact is certain though: you do not want to get on Storm’s bad side. After all, how can you protect yourself from a rushing wave, focused lightning bolts, or even acid rain? To anger Storm is to incur the wrath of Mother Nature herself.
∑ STATS ∑
Size »»» 6
Weight »»» 3
Power »»» 8
Priority »»» 7.5
Range »»» 10
Attack Speed »»» 2
Traction »»» 3
Movement Speed »»» 5
Fall Speed »»» 4
Aerial Mobility »»» 7
Abilities »»» Glide
Storm is a tall, imposing woman, but she doesn’t have much girth, unfortunately (and in actuality she stands at about Link’s height and weighs about the same as Pit). Combined with her slow fall speed and overall floaty nature, Storm’s rather easy to knock around and KO. However, her power, range, and priority also make it easy for her to KO other people. Storm’s attacks are almost all ranged, and deal powerful burst damage, and she’s quite adept at dealing with more than one foe—however, almost all of her attacks are slow and laggy, cementing her position as a ranged fighter. In addition, her aerial prowess is quite good, due to her floaty nature and overall powerful aerials.
Storm only has one real “jump” to get her off the ground, but pressing the jump button while in mid-air causes her to ride a powerful wind current upwards for as long as you hold the button down, much like R.O.B.’s Booster. However, this, too, only lasts for a certain amount of time in midair. Still, the total distance you can move upwards is equal to that of two of Falco’s midair jumps, so she’s quite good at recovering long distances. If you press left or right while in this state, Storm enters a standard glide, flying forward on a cushion of air.
∑ NATURE'S WRATH ∑
Storm’s powers are partly controlled by her emotions—when she gets mad, lightning strikes and thunder rumbles. She has long since learned to keep this aspect of her power (and her emotions) under control. However, this aspect of Storm’s mutation just so happens to smoothly transition into Smash Brothers. Essentially, this is Storm’s special mechanic (even though I'm not sure if having special mechanics is still "in"). As Storm gains damage, various weather effects occur on the battlefield, depending on the severity of her mood. If Storm is KO’ed, everything returns to normal and the counter resets. These effects DO affect Storm, so be careful…Mother Nature pays no favors.
- Upon gaining 20% damage, Storm grows a little annoyed, and the sky turns slightly gray; a distant sound of thunder rumbles once.
- Once Storm is attacked to reach 40% damage, the sky darkens and a lightning bolt strikes immediately in front of her, damaging whoever is in the way for approximately 13% damage and good horizontal knockback. After this point, lightning bolts will randomly strike the stage every 20 seconds with the same properties (they will also continue to immediately strike in front of Storm when she reaches each following level of anger).
- When Storm accumulates 65% on her damage meter, the sky is covered by dark gray clouds and thunder begins to rumble every so often. Lightning bolts continue and a light drizzle begins to fall, decreasing traction by 15%.
- If Storm reaches 100%, thunder sounds every few seconds, and lightning strikes often in the background and on stage, with the time in between them decreasing to about 10 seconds. In addition, heavy rainfall begins, obscuring view of the stage and keeping the same traction-lowering properties, now upped to 25%. In addition, this rain causes all electric-based attacks to deal 3% more damage (including the lightning bolts created by these storms).
- When Storm hits 120%, a strong wind begins to blow on the stage in addition to the above effects. This wind blows in one of four directions and changes randomly: wind blowing to the right makes it harder to move to the left (and vice versa). Wind blowing upward increases all characters’ jumps by 1.5 (while wind blowing down has the opposite effect).
- If you ever manage to stay alive until gaining 160%, the winds pick up speed (so they now double/halve speed in each direction), and the rain grows even heavier to further obscure your view. The lightning bolts begin to strike every 5 seconds and begin striking closer to actual players when they land. In addition, the sky turns pitch black, and tiny localized tornadoes begin to randomly swirl around the stage, acting very much like the ones on Hyrule Castle, though they are all about the size of Ganondorf. If you ever get to this point, it’ll be just as hard for you to play as it will be for the others, so be careful!
∑ SPECIALS ∑
Neutral Special ∑ Cyclone
Wh0renado knockoff? I resent that! …Anyways, by pressing the B button, Storm spins around slowly, and a small streak of wind trails behind her. Useless, unless you press the B button furiously. Doing so will cause Storm to spin faster and faster, creating a tornado around her body within a second of rapid button mashing—if she’s in the air when she does this, she stops where she is and begins to fall at a very slow pace. By continuing to hammer on the B button for about two seconds, you can increase the size of the tornado until it’s about 1.5x the height of Ganondorf and can suck in enemies from almost all the way across Final Destination (this is the maximum size). It doesn’t actually suck them in, but it draws them toward you and makes running in the opposite direction harder.
If they do touch the tornado, however, then they begin to spin around in the vicious winds, spinning upwards and then being fiercely tossed out the top. For each
second they spend in this vortex, they take
6%, but be warned! If Storm spins around for more than five seconds, she’ll automatically stop, the whirlwind will dissipate, and she’ll enter a dazed state, like when your shield is broken. If you stop hitting the B button before this limit, Storm will slowly stop spinning and the cyclone will continue forward at the speed of Ganondorf’s walk for about three seconds before disappearing—during this time it retains all the same properties as before. This is a very good KO move, but be sure you time it right, or else you’ll be screwed.
Side Special ∑ Chain Lightning
You’ve probably seen this attack before with several other characters, and with Storm it’s a very good way to rack damage, as well as a testament to her skills at range. Storm momentarily pulls her hand back, charging for .5 seconds before opening her palm and releasing a streak of jagged blue lightning that shoots forward horizontally, seeking the nearest opponent within the range of Battlefield. If the nearest opponent is more than 60° higher in relation to Storm, this lightning will simply seek the next closest opponent within Battlefield’s range.
If this lightning connects with an enemy, it shocks the opponent once, dealing
16% damage but no knockback. The lightning then instantaneously extends from that foe to the next nearest foe, within 3/4 of Battlefield’s range, dealing the same amount of damage—it then proceeds to seek out a third target, within 1/2 of Battlefield, instantly jumping to them and dealing more damage to that person. Storm and all the players struck by this lightning are held immobile for the entire duration of the attack (although each person is only damaged once), and once the last available target is struck, the lightning disappears instantly, but Storm takes a moment to recover. This is an excellent move for dealing with crowds, but unfortunately its lag on both ends leaves it best suited for
ranged assaults.
Up Special ∑ Cloud Creation
Since Storm already has such a good enough second jump plus a glide, it would be a tad unfair—and a wee bit redundant—for her to get a recovery move too. Instead, this move causes Storm to hold her arms up, as a stormy gray storm cloud swirls into being at Mario’s height directly above her. The cloud increases in size one Stage Builder Block for every second you hold the button down, and it can grow up to
three Stage Builder Blocks in length (meaning you cannot spend more than three seconds creating this cloud). The cloud remains on the stage for a maximum of
three minutes, regardless of whether or not Storm is KO’ed. You can only have one of these clouds out at a time.
Contact with this cloud does nothing; Storm (and all other fighters) can
use it as a platform (but that only lasts for about two seconds before she falls through—this effect renews itself ten seconds later). This cloud periodically releases thunderbolts every fifteen or so seconds; these bolts cause
13% damage with average horizontal knockback and arc towards the enemy closest to it (though the bolts cannot reach further away than 1.5 SBBs).
This may seem rather pointless for an attack, but if it’s raining onstage, or the cloud is hit by a water attack, the cloud steadily grows in size. Once the cloud reaches a maximum size of
five Stage Builder Blocks across (it steadily grows at a rate of 1 SBB per fifteen seconds), it releases a torrential downpour of damaging rain, hitting any fighters beneath it for
18% damage and forcing them to the ground (excluding Storm, of course). The cloud then disappears. This cloud makes a
great edgeguarding tool, and you can manipulate it around the stage; if the cloud is hit by a wind-based attack, it moves along with the wind but decreases in size proportional to the strength of the attack. This means that once wind starts blowing because of Storm’s power, the cloud will eventually be
blown offstage.
Down Special ∑ Clear Skies
Storm looks to the sky and her eyes glow white, taking one second to do so. Over the course of the next second,
all current weather effects fade away (including any created clouds you have), and the stage remains clear for the next
8 seconds. Obviously, this is a very laggy attack (two seconds in Smash is not an optimal speed for anything), but it’s a very helpful attack when you know that the current weather onstage has gotten a little too chaotic for your liking. Remember, all those stray lightning bolts and wind currents can hurt you too! This move can be used as often as you like, though make sure you have an opening to do so, since Storm is defenseless while she performs it.
∑ STANDARDS ∑
Standard Combo ∑ Shock
Storm leaps slightly into the air and points both of her hands down towards the ground, and tiny bolts of pink lightning shoot from her fingertips and arc downwards to the ground, covering one Stage Builder Block of total distance. This attack is laggy on both ends as Storm takes a moment to leap into the air, gather energy, and fall back down, but the lightning comes out instantaneously. The actual lightning is only out for a short time (about 0.8 seconds), but contact with it deals
8% damage and a
stun effect similar to ZSS’s charged Paralyzer shot.
Dash Attack ∑ Conductor Spin
Storm spins around quickly while moving forward at a heightened speed (about equal to Pit’s running speed), holding her arms straight out and her feet pointed straight down at the ground. She’s actually floating slightly off the ground, if you look closely…but that doesn’t really matter. Storm moves for about half of Battlefield in this manner (you can stop it short by pressing the shield button), and contact with her during this time deals
7% damage and moves you along with her.
But that’s not really what this move’s about: as you move, three super-thin lightning bolts shoot in across the screen towards her body in a fan-shape, one after another in quick sequence. These lightning bolts deal a little hitstun but no damage; instead, when they hit Storm, she releases a small burst of electricity to those immediately next to her, each causing a rapid bursts of electricity for
3% damage. This move deals no knockback and ends with you right next to the foe, so obviously you want to use this move when the foe is close to you, so you can pull them in and deal the maximum amount of damage (which is
16% damage, but that’s a very hard thing to do unless they’re right up near you). This is a
very good combo starter—possibly the only one in Storm’s repertoire.
Forward Tilt ∑ Funnels
Storm spins around while holding her leg out, taking about three-quarters of a second to do so, and a small tornado the size of Luigi swirls into being in front of her, moving forward at half the speed of Ganondorf’s run. This tornado will continue forward for
four seconds or until it hits an immovable obstacle. If this funnel hits an item, it picks the item up and spins it around violently before tossing it backwards a little bit and disappearing; the item breaks once it hits the ground.
The same thing happens with an enemy; if an enemy comes into contact with the funnel, it will trap them, holding them off the ground and spinning them around in place for a second, dealing
10% damage before tossing them up with average knockback and fading away. This move is not a very good killing move; instead, use this move to hold foes in place and toss them around a little bit, keeping them disoriented. Storm can have up to two of these funnels out at one time.
Up Tilt ∑ Hailstorm
Storm’s eyes glow white and she looks to the heavens, taking about a second to do so; a wispy blue wind appears above the nearest enemy within the distance of Battlefield, blowing down onto them. This wind
slows foes by 30% of their normal movement speed and decreases their jumps by the same amount; in addition, Pokéball-sized ice chunks fall onto the enemy’s head, dealing
2% and
no knockback each time they connect—eight hailstones in total fall, making the total damage
16%. This wind is permanently attached to your target for the entire time it remains on the field, which is approximately five seconds. This is a useful debuff to your opponents, as well as a great source of constant damage.
Unfortunately, there’s one tiny catch. When Storm activates this move,
any rain on the field turns to snow as well. Which mostly is referring to the rain caused by Storm’s mechanic, in case you couldn’t tell. The snow does nothing, but the move also
summons hail chunks that are identical to the ones plaguing your opponent—these chunks of hail rain all over the field, dealing the same damage and flinching knockback. This stage-wide effect remains for about
10 seconds, and gets rid of the effects of normal rain (traction lowering and electric damage-boosting), since the rain isn’t there. This hail CAN hurt Storm, so before you use the move, you need to weigh the pros and cons of whether or not you can handle having another hazard to deal with. This is a perfect move to use
before you accumulate a lot of damage, so that way the stage-wide hail doesn’t appear.
And by the way, if you use Clear Skies to clear away the hail, the opponent’s hail will disappear, but when the stage returns to normal, the stage-wide hail will be gone as well.
Down Tilt ∑ Lightning Bolt
Ah, one of Storm’s classic moves: dropping lightning bolts onto unsuspecting foes and frying them to a crisp. Satisfying, no? When you do this, Storm’s fist crackles with electricity and she crouches slightly, slamming her closed fist down towards the ground; as soon as her fist stops moving (about three quarters of a second), a blue lightning bolt shoots down from the top of the screen onto the nearest enemy within the distance of Battlefield in any direction. Contact with this lightning deals
13% damage and good side knockback, much like Pikachu’s Thunder. This lightning comes out fast, but a skilled opponent can easily dodge it. Although this move actually starts up pretty quickly, the ending’s a bit slower as Storm takes a while to stand back up.
Ooh, there’s also some cool bonuses that go along with this move: if you manage to hit a foe with this while they’re
beneath a created storm cloud, the lightning cuts through the cloud and increases in size, amplifying its power and dealing
18% damage and great knockback! This is a difficult task to pull off, sure, but it’s a suitable reward, I think…
∑ SMASHES ∑
Forward Smash ∑ Gust
Bah, another laggy move. After charging, Storm leaps a full character length into the air and throws her hands forward, taking almost a full second to do so. A strong gust of wind shoots from her palms, extending from her location in the air all the way into the ground. Horizontally, this wind current stretches a little over half the length of Battlefield, meaning you can attack enemies from a safe distance away. If you hit an opponent with this gust, they will take great horizontal knockback and
18-24% damage, depending on how long you charged.
Unfortunately, this move will not actually throw enemies into the air until they have accumulated at least
80% damage on their meters. Otherwise, they will simply be forced to the ground and will slide backwards. Gust can also be used to
move your created cloud around the stage if you later realize that you want it somewhere else. Be warned though that this, like all wind-based attacks, will decrease the cloud’s size slightly, meaning it will take longer to reach its maximum size. Finally, this wind sends items and containers flying with twice the strength/distance of being thrown; if they hit the ground after being tossed about, they break as normal. Storm holds the wind out for only three-quarters of a second, so it doesn’t last too long, and there’s above-average lag as Storm falls back to the ground.
Up Smash ∑ Static Charge
Storm holds her arms up to the sky, and two small sparks crackle into being slightly above her fists as she charges. When you’re done charging, she swings her arms down and the sparks move down and out, drawing a thin line of lightning as they do so. The longer you charge, the further out the sparks go, covering a maximum distance of four SBBs on each side of Storm. When the two sparks hit the ground, anything within the lines of lightning “drawn” by the sparks is frozen in place and is shocked multiple times by the large number of sparks inside for rapid hits of
1% damage; they can take up to
10% in this manner. This deals no knockback, and Storm is unable to move while she channels this move.
This move's damage is unaffected by Storm's electric boosts—that is, the rain and her Down Smash.
Now, you may think this is a pretty useless move, but there’s a pretty cool catch. Any enemy caught in the static field is debuffed for the next
6 seconds, taking
2% more damage more damage from every attack they take, not just those from Storm! Considering Storm’s main purpose is racking up damage, this is a great, very useful move. If you use this move while it’s raining, the enemy does not take the extra damage usually granted to lightning attacks, but instead the duration of the debuff is upped to
8 seconds. If you use this smash while the enemy is already under the influence of the debuff, the duration is not renewed or increased in length.
Down Smash ∑ Superconductor
After you finish charging this move, Storm rises to a hovering position slightly above the ground, and an enormous lightning bolt shoots down from the top of the screen, hitting her and sending an intense electrical aura exploding outward for
3 SBB's in all directions. If an opponent is struck by the lightning on its way down, they take
28% damage and great horizontal knockback. This attack is slow, as the lightning bolt itself is rather large and the electricity that radiates outward from Storm takes a bit of time before fading away; the electric field deals
22% and great knockback Combined with its potent range, this makes Storm’s Down Smash one of her best KO options.
But wait, there’s more! Once the attack finishes (the whole attack, including startup and ending lag, takes about 2.5 seconds), Storm is glowing a faint blue and her fists are crackling with electricity! If you see this, Storm has
4 seconds of immunity to all electric attacks due to the immense amount of electric power coursing through her body—in addition, all of her electric-based attacks deal 1% more damage. Be warned that once you use this move, Storm is
unable to use it for the next 10 seconds, meaning 6 seconds after your boost fades away. Considering this is such a powerful attack, it would only make sense that Storm needs time to recharge. Tiny sparks will shoot from Storm’s body when the move is done charging.
∑ AERIALS ∑
Neutral Air ∑ Pollution
Storm releases a thin brown fog for as long as you hold the A button down while in the air; it doesn’t slow her descent or anything, meaning you can effectively create a trail of this stuff all the way down to the ground. The fog remains on the field for about six seconds. Contact with this fog deals
6% and no knockback, but then deals
1% per second for the next three seconds as the opponent suffers the aftereffects of this gross mist. This fog does not affect Storm, but once six seconds have passed, the mist dissolves and floats upwards, off the top of the screen.
If it’s raining when this occurs,
the rain will turn to acid rain. This rain has a sickly brownish-green color, and deals
2% per second to everyone, including Storm. The acid rain lasts
7 seconds, so before you throw away your morals to use this move and deal a hefty dose of damage to your opponents (and yourself), consider whether or not you’re willing to pay the long-term price for polluting the environment (that’s right, folks, this moveset supports the green movement!).
Forward Air ∑ Thunder Mines
Storm freezes in midair and surrounds her fists in crackling lightning; without hesitation (FINALLY A MOVE WITH NO LAG!), she tosses three spheres of lightning forward in rapid succession, each slightly larger than a Pokéball. These spheres randomly move around the field, slightly homing towards the closest opponents, but they’re not too incessant about finding a victim; they move around at
.75x the speed of a Smash Ball and have the sense to move around walls and such; they can be absorbed by PSI shields, but cannot be reflected by things like Pit’s Mirror Shield or the Space Animals’ Reflectors.
Contact with one of these thunder mines causes it to detonate, wracking the opponent’s body with lightning and
paralyzing them where they are as they take rapid hits of
3% damage, capping off at
12% total if they are not attacked out of it. The mines fade away after
5 seconds, and Storm can only use this move again once all the mines are gone from the field (i.e. they’ve all been used up or disappeared). These are good things to have out at all times to add to the chaos, but they’re not really a deal-breaker in terms of damage racking or KO potential.
Back Air ∑ Flash Freeze
Typical back-air sweetspot move? I think not! For this attack, Storm demonstrates her control of the atmosphere on an infinitesimally small level. Storm spins around in midair and reaches out for an opponent; if she makes contact with them, she grabs them in midair. Almost immediately after, the opponent flashes an icy blue for approximately .2 seconds—this is your cue to
hit the A button again! If you time it right, then Storm releases a powerful pulse of kinetic energy throughout the opponent’s body,
freezing them and sending them flying up into the air with great knockback and
15% damage.
This is a rather simple move, and the rewards seem a bit underwhelming considering that the success of this move requires depends on your perfect timing. However, this move is an aerial, and therefore if you use it after the opponent has reached a high enough damage level (usually around 130%), you’ll probably score a star KO. Also, if you use this move
while it's snowing (through use of your U-Tilt) the opponent glows blue for
half a second, making it easier for you to land the hit!
Up Air ∑ Dust Devil
Storm freezes where she is in midair, and is immediately surrounded by a tight cylinder of swirling wind, her eyes glowing white. This wind causes
7% and weak knockback when someone comes into contact with it—most attacks from things like swords or bats can reach through the wind, however, so you’re not invincible by any means. This vortex remains until you let go of the A button—you can hold it as long as you want, but after the first two seconds, Storm begins to sink closer to the ground with each following passing second,
constantly taking 1% as time goes on (this prevents players from abusing this skill to build up adverse weather effects on the field).
The cool thing about this vortex is that any solid projectile or item that comes into contact with this wind is caught in it, swirling around Storm incessantly, boosting the damage caused by the vortex by
2% for each foreign object in the wind. When Storm releases the vortex, she holds her arms out and the items go flying out in random directions, causing the normal damage that item would cause if thrown (if there are no other objects in the dust devil, the wind simply dissipates instead).
Also, if you use this skill above a body of water or while it’s raining, Storm
creates a waterspout, or a vertical column of water. Aside from looking insanely cool, this waterspout causes
12% damage upon contact and better knockback, though Storm takes constant ticks of
2% damage after two seconds in her creation. This does NOT suck up items (if there are pre-existing items in the wind before it becomes a waterspout, they are destroyed). When Storm releases a waterspout, the water falls straight to the ground, dealing
12% damage to anyone below it and forcing them to the ground.
If this attack is used over any sort of flame/lava (including Brinstar/Norfair), Storm creates a fire whirl, which is the same thing as a waterspout, but with fire. Contact with this deals
18% damage and really good knockback; however, if Storm tries to keep this going for too long (like all the others), she begins to take ticks of
4% damage. Like the waterspout, a fire whirl cannot hold items. When you release one of these, the fire expands two SBB’s in all directions before fading away, dealing
16% damage and good knockback to anyone it hits. This is a very hard feat to accomplish, so be sure to use it well!
Down Air ∑ Blitz
Stalling in midair, Storm points her arms down towards the ground, and a number of lightning bolts shoot down from the top of the screen randomly across the stage. The number of lightning bolts is dependent on how much damage Storm accumulates—this begins as one single lightning bolt, but
adds one for every 25% damage you take capping out at 100% and bringing the total number of lightning bolts up to
five. These lightning bolts have the same properties as those seen in Storm’s Down Tilt and her special mechanic,
13% damage and good knockback.
∑ THROWS ∑
Grab ∑ Final Warning
I can’t really see how you want me to make this special…Storm’s a normal human. The grab is average range, comes out relatively quick, and does no damage. There.
Pummel ∑ Lightning Pulse
Gripping the foe with both her hands, Storm begins to steadily shock the opponent for
3% every second—you can
hold down the A button to keep this pummel going infinitely, but it’s a
VERY easy grab to break out of, as Storm’s already weak grip is made even weaker by channeling electricity through her hands. Overall, though, a solid pummel, though one that’s pretty hard to make full use of.
Forward Throw ∑ Jetstream
Storm thrusts her hands forward, palms open, and releases a strong gust of wind that blows the enemy back with it! This wind is
controllable, meaning you can essentially manipulate the opponent in whatever direction you so desire; however, the wind only lasts for
three seconds, and its initial air speed (about that of Mario’s walk) is inversely proportional to the thrown foe’s weight. That is, if the foe is heavier, the wind will move more slowly, and it will pick up speed for a lighter foe. This throw does no damage; it’s entire purpose is positioning and KOs. It’s also useful for
moving your cloud around.
Back Throw ∑ Thor's Hammer
Storm spins around on one leg, tossing the opponent into the air as she does so; the second the opponents falls in front of her, she releases a stream of lightning that pushes the opponent back and forces them to the ground. It’s not a very unique throw, admittedly, but since it forces the opponent to the ground and pushes them a good distance away (approximately three SBB’s), it’s a
good tool for spacing. This throw deals approximately
8% damage, and also has a
20% chance to slow the opponent for 5 seconds afterward due to the lightning coursing through their body. During this time, the opponent’s movement speed is
cut in half.
Up Throw ∑ Wind Geyser
Storm tosses the enemy right above her head and begins to spin around, forming a cushion of wind beneath the opponent that keep them spinning in midair right above her. Now, this wind cushion will fade away immediately unless you begin
spinning the control stick in a circle. By doing this at a rapid speed, Storm begins to spin around and around in place, much like with her neutral special. However, this forms a thin, cylindrical wind vortex above her, as opposed to a funnel-shaped cyclone. The more you spin, the higher the column of wind rises, dealing ticks of
1% damage every second until it reaches about Ganondorf’s height above her, which would deal about
5% damage. When you reach this point, Storm stops spinning automatically and the foe is launched straight up a hefty distance, taking
8% more damage. You can stop spinning at any time, however, since Storm is essentially defenseless while she manipulates her opponent upward. This is a good throw (aside from the start up time), as the ending lag is average; the move can kill Mario at 120% if you raise the geyser to its maximum height before releasing it.
Down Throw ∑ Pressure
Storm forcefully tosses the opponent down on the ground, dealing
5% but no knockback. Sounds worthless, but if you
mash the control stick down, Storm begins to push her palms towards the ground as the opponent writhes in pain—that’s right, Storm’s increasing the pressure around the opponent’s body to forcefully crush them! This deals consistent ticks of
1% with every smash of the control stick, so if the opponent has trouble breaking out of the throw, this throw can possibly deal a ton of damage. Be warned, though, that Storm is completely vulnerable while torturing her opponents, so be careful that you don’t get too caught up and ignore other threats.
∑ FINAL SMASH ∑
Final Smash ∑ Will of the Goddess
Having gained the Smash Ball, Storm taps into the deepest reaches of her power as the action freezes. Holding her arms to the sky, her eyes turn completely white and her body glows as she instantly performs one
Superconductor attack and slowly begins to rise into the air, calling upon the forces of nature to shift the ferocity of the weather up to the
highest possible level if it isn’t already. This may seem incredibly pointless, but after Storm comes back down to the ground, she is completely
invincible and all of her attacks have almost
no lag. This means it’s incredibly simple for to wreak any further havoc for the next
ten seconds. Have fun!
Also, during this time, trying to use your down special (Clear Skies), instead creates a
localized tsunami that starts in the background and is the length of Battlefield (with Storm serving as the center). This tsunami does take about three seconds to form and fall onto the stage, meaning it’s kind of hard to land, but if it does manage to hit an opponent, they will suffer
35% and high upwards knockback, basically guaranteeing a KO if it connects.
∑ PLAYSTYLE ∑
The mistress of the weather is all about damage. Building up damage is Storm’s strongest skill, and her moveset reflects this; almost every attack she has is slow, has great range, and causes insane damage, with secondary effects and debuffs that only raise her output. This means that Storm, obviously, shines at a distance, but how does one go about keeping that distance? The answer is simple: by relying on Storm’s mechanic and allowing damage to accumulate on her, the chaos slowly intensifies over the course of the battle. In Free-for-All matches, Storm especially comes into her own, since it’s incredibly difficult for an opponent to focus on both the assault coming from Storm and the very atmosphere around them.
This special mechanic is simultaneously the most useful and most difficult thing about mastering Storm; it requires no input on the part of the player, sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing from the moment you start a match. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; it’s more difficult than one might thing to chart a course through waters as capricious as a battle field containing Storm. Not only do you have to focus on avoiding your opponents, but you also have to deal with the weather effects: decreasing your movement speed and traction, even simple burst damage in the form of the random lightning bolts (which are as unforgiving as you would think they are). Even some of Storm’s most useful debuffs (like her U-Tilt and N-Air) affect the environment around her, giving the player a difficult dilemma as they weigh the risks and rewards of immediately setting their opponent back and subsequently dealing with their own consequences. After all, Storm knows better than anyone not to upset the balance of nature too many times; sooner or later it will turn against you.
However, that means it’s up to you to remain on your toes as you control Storm throughout any brawl. It’s not incredibly hard for her to avoid her opponents—her above-average recovery allows her to recover from most any distance, and creating a cloud offers a useful stepping stone when you need to bridge that extra-long gap between you and the stage. One possibility: try creating a cloud and then using your F-Throw. Direct your Jetstream upwards, and you can send your cloud soaring to heights only the most daring aerial fighters would dream of reaching. Obviously, it’s not too much of a problem for Storm to reach this skyward safe haven with her outstanding second jump, but remember that also means bringing your cloud down will be that much harder if you need it for another purpose later on.
But why rely solely on your cloud? After all, each of Storm’s attacks have significant punch behind them. Even her standard combo has respectable range for a basic attack—and the stun on it grants you a brief window with which to make your retreat. Throughout your battles on Storm, you should focus on keeping the enemy at bay, using electrical assaults to keep their damage percentages high and then throwing them back with powerful Gusts when they get too close for comfort. Even if they manage to weather your defenses (pun intended), Storm’s throw game is practically made for spacing (with the exception of her D-Throw, though that’s more intended for a finisher anyway). Toss them behind you and possibly slow them down, or launch them into the air with your deadly pirouette of an U-Throw. But even if you can’t get the opponent to play right into your hands, with Storm as your fighter, the sky is quite literally the limit—or maybe it's even higher.
Wild TANOOKIE fled!
