flaco
The Terminator
Marth
Well I Have been using Marth for two years now Pretty even character easy to use
and very standard.
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Marth is a Character first introduced to America in SSB:M, and is taken
from the Japanese only Game Fire Emblem, as is his Counter Part Roy
(more on that later). It was a surprise to Many, as very Few of us in the
States knew anything about Marth or Roy, when they first appeared on SSB:M,
and they very soon became popular characters in the states as well as Japan.
Marth is an excellent character to play as, while his learning Curve is high
the rewards are as well. Marth is Fast, and Has the arguably the best grabs
In the game, due to how fast they come out, and how well they can start a
combo. He is also quite Strong once you master Sweet spot hits, and can K.O
at Very Low %'s. During this FAQ we will Cover the Basics of Playing Marth,
his attacks, and effective strategies to absolutely own your friends at their
next Birthday party ^_^
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Unlocking Marth
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Marth is a secret character, in order to unlock him; You can Either Beat
Classic Mode with all the default Characters, and after the last, Marth will
Challenge you. Defeat him and He is yours!. Note: Marth can also be unlocked
Simply using the original 14 Characters in Versus Mode, or by playing 400 Vs.
Mode Matches.
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Controls
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Walk: Barely tilt the control stick in the direction you wish to walk
Run: Tilt the Joystick about halfway in the direction you wish to run
Dash: Mash the control stick in the direction you wish to run
Jump: Control stick Up, X/Y button
Double jump: Control stick up, X/Y buttons while already in air.
Attack: A button/control stick in various directions, pick up items.
Special Attacks: B button/control stick in various directions
Block: Hold L or R
Roll: Hold L or R, and press the joystick left or right
Dodge: Hold L or R and press the joystick Down
Mid-Air roll: L or R in mid-air
Grab: Z button
Throw: Z button + joystick in various directions, drop items, (Z+>>any
direction on control stick to throw an item.)
Pose: Up on Directional Pad.
Teching: A tech roll, cancel out your recovery time, by pressing L as soon as
you hit the ground recovering from an aerial attack. You can roll immediately
afterwards, which is called a Tech Roll
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Marth's Sweet spot
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Marth, and his twin Roy, Both wield Swords. Each of theses Swords has a
Sweet spot, and when an attack connects on the Sweet spot, it will do more
Damage, as well as have much greater Knock back. Marth's Sweet spot, is the Tip
Of his Sword. To become successful with Marth, you must master hitting with
the Tip, so that you can kill enemies at Lower %'s, and rack up damage Faster.
This is very important so remember This. Throughout the rest of the guide,
I will list Damages for Both Sweet spot hits, and misses.
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Marth's attacks
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Legend: >tilt joystick: barely tap the joystick in the direction
>>: Smash Joystick: bash the joystick in that direction
NOTE: Attack Names Taken From IGN's SSB:M Guide, thanks guys.
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Normal Attacks: all of these are down with a slight tilt in the
direction, and then the A button.
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Slash A Damage 2-4%
Sweet spot Damage 3-6%
Falchion Slash Combo A+AAA... Damage 2-4% per hit
Sweet spot Damage 3-6% per hit
Leg Slash While dashing A Damage 6-11%
Sweet spot Damage 7-12%
Sharp Edge >right/left A Damage 5-9%
Sweet spot Damage 7-13%
Upper Slash >up A Damage 5-9%
Sweet spot Damage 9-13%
Low Stab >down A Damage 4-8%
Sweet spot Damage 5-10%
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Smash Attacks: The following three techniques can all be charged by holding
down the buttons required to do them, say for instance, hold >>Right/Left A
to charge a Dragon Slayer and increase the damage done, and the Knock back.
Once you become good, you'll never need to charge anyway.
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Dragon Slayer >>right/left A Damage 7%-14%
Charged Damage 10%-19%
Sweet spot Damage 11%-20%
Sweet spot Charged 15%-27%
Winning Thrust >>Up A Damage 4%-8%
Charged Damage 6%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 11%-18%
Sweet spot Charged 16%-24%
Whirlwind Slash >>Down A First Slash Damage 6%-11%
First Slash Charged 8%-
15%
Sweet spot First Slash 9%-16%
Sweet spot First Charged 12%-21%
Second Slash Damage 6-11%
Second Slash Charged 8-15%
Sweet spot Second Slash 9%-16%
Sweet spot Second Charged 12%-21%
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Aerial Attacks: I shouldn't have to say this, but all of the following
attacks are done while in the air, and are down with either a tilt or smash
of the control stick, and the A or Z button.
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Twin Slash A Damage
Sweet spot Damage
Aerial Swipe >or>> right A Damage 4%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 7%-13%
About Face >or>> left A Damage 5%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 7%-13%
Luna Slash >or>> up A Damage 5%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 7%-13%
Half Moon >or>> down A Damage 5%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 7%-13%
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Special Attacks: These are Marth's unique abilities. They are executed by
Pushing The Joystick and B button in the specified Direction. Dancing Blade,
is quite interesting.
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Shield Breaker B(hold to charge) Damage 1%-25%
Dolphin Slash >or>>Up B Damage 3%-13%
Note: This attack is strongest when you hit during the beginning Animation,
and opposite of Marth's other moves, when you are very close to opponent.
Reverse Dolphin Slash: This powerful technique is executed by running at your
opponent and hitting back on the Control stick just as you execute Up B. If
done correctly, Marth will Dolphin slash in the opposite direction, and it
will have greater knock back than a standard Dolphin slash. Not to important
since this move sucks as an offensive tactic.
Dancing Blade >or>>right/left B Damage Varies Greatly
Counter >or>>down B Damage
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Grabs & Throws: These attacks are executed by pressing the Z button, or by
pressing A while shielding to grab your enemy. Once you've grabbed them, they
can be thrown in any direction by pressing left, right, up, or down on the
control stick.
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Grab Z/A while shielding Damage: N/A
Knee A during grab Damage: 1-3%
Throw Up >or>>up during grab Damage: 1-4%
Throw Down >or>>down during grab Damage: 2-5%
Throw Forward >or>>forward during grab Damage: 1-4%
Throw Back >or>>back during grab Damage: 1-4%
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Marth Strategies
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An explanation of the advanced tactics you will need to know to play Marth
Short hops: Small jumps, used to decrease the Airtime needed for Aerial Attacks
L-Cancel: Pressing L/R/Z after an Aerial attack just before you hit the ground
to cancel out the Aerial Attacks Lag time. All your Aerials (Which are about
50% of a good Marth players game) should be L-Canceled.
Fast fall: Press Down during an Aerial Attack to make Marth fall Faster, thus
enabling him to reach the ground faster for another attack.
Dash Canceled Grabs: Press Up while running just as you are doing a grab to
Make Marth do a Dash Canceled Grab, Dash Canceled grabs have less of a lag
time than Normal Dash-Grabs.
Wave Dashing: Wave Dashing is short hopping, and then mid-air dodging into the
ground to make your character slide along the terrain. Wave Dashing is great,
because any attack can be executed during the Dash. It is mostly used to set
up for Tipper Smashes, playing mind-games, at If you're confident, it is a
superior means of movement, as it offers greater control, and inables quick
dash in/outs
Shield Grabbing: While Holding R/L(Shield), press the A button to grab. This
is a very useful tactic, as you can block most attacks, and then grab your
opponent immediately while they are still lagging from the blocked attack.
Crouch-Cancel: Press down on the Joystick while you being hit by an attack
with low power; this will make you crouch, and recover from the weak hit
(Example, neutral A's, or other low knockback moves), and capable of attacking
immediately. You can crouch cancel a dash to cause Marth to come to a complete
stop
DI:Directional influence away from combos or attacks; use this while being
juggled, and swat away incoming enemies with you fair.
Dash-Dancing: Running back and forth as fast as you can; the point? mind-
games, you can do any attack out of a dash-dance(fair, tilts, smashes, grabs),
making it a principal technique; if you can keep your opponetn guessing, you
have a much greater chance of winning(I also use CC/out of DD to durn around
quickly)
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Marth, The Aerial God
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Let it be said now, Marth is the BEST Aerial fighter in SSB:M, without
question. He has Aerial Priority over every other character in the game, and
his excellent range, combined with the how easily his aerials are chained, and
the kill options they provide(Almost all of them chain to foward smash =D),
Even the mighty sheik fails to equal Marth in the air.
Marth's Aerial Forward A(Short hopped, Fast-falled, and L-Canceled): This is,
without a doubt, Marth's best Aerial attack, and arguably the best aerial in
the game. This move covers Marth's entire foward Arc, making it a notable part
of both his offense, and defense(rather than shield, Marth can hit an opponent
with fair, which outranges almost anything, he can then combo them from there)
This move is easily chained into, or from Marth's throw foward, it can chain
to his Tilt Up A, which can then be chained into further Aerials(Another
foward or back aerial in most cases.) This Marth's most important move, it is
important for you understand how to use it in the following ways...
As a part of Marth's defensive game(note... I don't reccomend you do this for
too long, Marth doesn't need to be particularly defensive): Short hop, and
then immediately use Marth's Forward Aerial... notice anything? it covers from
the top of your head, to your feet, and has rediculous range and priority. By
short hopping backwards and using marth's Fair(foward-air), then L-Canceling
into into another attack(his tilt foward, down tilt, or optimally, another
foward/neutral Aerial. Most characters cannot keep up with Marth while he's
doing this, adding wave-dashing to this defensive game can make it all the
more deadly(Sh/FF/LC foward Air, if they get close, wave-dash backwards, then
jump and do another forward Aerial attack) I reccomend doing this, and then
juggling from your first successful tipper fair... one of the best ways to do
this is to use the most important tactic in Marth' Arsenal... his...
Double Forward-Aerial goodness: Short hop(you can do this by standing(not
reccomended)(DIing your short hop foward/or back), and then use Forward Aerial
attack twice VERY quickly, fast-fall, L-Cancel, jump, repeat... the best and
most important move in marth's Arsenal): The Double fair, is the base of any
good Marth's game, it enables you to hit your opponent twice in literally,
about a 1/2 second... L-Canceling this means you can get away with this two or
three times... meaning 5 or 6 hit Fair chains, double Fair, as normal fair,
can be canceled into grabs, done from grabs, done repeatedly, chained to up
tilt, and then another double fair.. chained to f-smash... basically it's just
taking the usefullness of the original, and turning into Marth's most
essential technique... what's even better, if you hit tipper with the first
fair... your almost certainly going to hit it with the second one as well,
which besides leading to the best juggle combos in the game, does very good
damage as well.
Cancelling Marth's Double/Single fair into Foward smash: This probably the
best way to kill an enemy with Marth, simply do a short hopped double/single
fair, then after the second fair, fast-fall, L-Cancel, and hit C-stick over.
The smash attack will come out almost immediately after the fair hits, and the
fair will more than likely have bounced them into the air... putting them in
perfect range for a tipper smash, that means, any character in the game will
die if this technique is executed properly, will die. This doesn't
neccessarily need to be a tipper attack to be devastating though =D.
JJC Fair Combos: These are executed by performing fair, JJC fair, and then
another fair. All tippers. Useful for doing damage, most of the time you'll
want to do these from a Dash dance. normally, this will push you're opponent
over the edge... in which case you should start edge guarding them for the
kill (Tipper, Wd Tipper, D-tilt)
Using Marth's Foward Aerial to recover from attacks: After Marth has been hit,
and your opponent begins to jump at you in an attempt to attack you (juggle
you, ect), you can simply use Marth's Fair to hit them away, then fast-fall,
and land on the ground, or alternatively, turn their juggle into your own,
with a double fair =D. If an opponent is trying to juggle you with a throw(or
tilts), you can jump backwards, and then hit them with fair, Using your fair
like this(Example, Sheik down throws you, tries to do Aerial Over, you jump
backwards and hit her with your fair(If you double jump, hit the character
trying to attack you with this move while fast-falling) Likewise, you can do
this move after blocking an attack, similar to the way you would do a shield
grab; which basically means you can get free hits of blocked attacks.
Marth's Fair with Dash-dancing(Or closing distance): Doing dash fair out of a
dash dance is extremely effective for marth, it's range/arc make the attack
difficult to dodge, simply short hop out of the dash dance and then deliever a
quick double fair, or Fair JJC combo. By using a combination of fair/grabs out
of dash-dances, you can keep your enemy guessing quite well, and can deliever
a kill with foward smash out of wd or dd
It should also be noted, that Marth's double Fair can be L-canceled, and then
repeated multiple times at medium percent, presuming you can hit tip... these
strings can become very deadly, four tip fairs+tipper forward smash is enough
to kill almost anything, and if you can space properly, and are fast enough to
jump IMMEDIATELY after the first double fair, this is possible to say the
least.
Short hopped Aerial Neutral A (w/ Fast fall and L Cancel): It is executed just
like short hopped Aerial Forward A, by tapping up on the Control stick (or
barely pressing Y/X), Fastfall, and then L-Cancel: This attack continues
Marth's Legacy of Aerial ownage... It's more powerful than any of his other
Aerials, and it has a very long duration, making it very useful as a defensive
tool. It's only drawback is the fact that it doesn't cover an entire arc like
his other Aerials do. It can however, be canceled into marth's tilt up, then
followed by a double fair, or anything else. After hitting with a tilt up A,
you can also jump and use The neutral Aerial attack knock them away(this
aerial attack can kill at decent percent... but it's main use is to get them
off the edge, then edge-guard your opponent to death.) This attack is often
chained with marth's double/single fair for fabulous results. use a double
fair, L-Cancel, then short hop again, and use his Neutral Aerial, I reccomend
you influence the short-hops direction foward, so that you can follow up with
a tilt foward or/ over A smash attack.
Short-Hop Neutral Air-Fair strings. This move is like fair, due to the fact
that if you SH/FF/LC it, you can do it over and over again, or combine it with
Fair for very stylish, and damaging attack strings, that can be finished with
a spike, forward smash, or tilt foward A(Grabs can also be added to these
chains, used to begin them, or end them) Due to the fact that this move has
the greatest knockback of all Marth's Aerials, you should use it to finish a
combo that involves bouncing your opponent off walls.
Using Neutral Aerial as a part of Marth's Defense: You can do this the same
way you can do Fair (Short hop backwards, Nair, FF-LC), it doesn't cover an
arc, but if successful, it will get you some breathing room. I would use this
during high altitude fights to clear some distance between you and you're
opponent, and give you time to get back to the ground. Thank's to it's long
duration, it's also very useful when you're playing mindgames and predict the
opponent's going to jump/dash for you... Sh backwards and meet them with this.
Note about chaining this move to Tilt Up: You can only do this at REALLY low
percents, or against walls... either way, it's better to use this move after
fair, or to finish an aerial chain(I tell you to start them from Fair because
it's safer, and you can do it out of dash-dancing more effectively, not to
mention fair works just like a shield grab, after you block an attack, you can
jump out of your shield to cancel it and fair your opponent, very effective;
my favorite way to attack after a blocked move.=)
Aerial Down A: The spike from which there is no return
Simply put, this move kicks *** one you get it down pat. It's not classified
as a real Meteor smash, so it can't be meteor-canceled out of, and can kill
anyone at 0%. A few good ways to use this uber move. Stand on the edge of the
stage as your opponent is recovering, and wait until they get very close
(directly under you, about to grab the edge or Up B) immediately do a short
hopped Aerial Down A to spike them into oblivion.
Throw Down Works Very well with this move as well, you will need to know, and
abuse this combo. Grab facing way from the edge, throw Down, Short hop
backwards straight into Aerial Down A(note, this is defeated by DI).
The Third way to use this move is by jumping out above your opponent, and
spiking them as they attempt to recover. This is the riskiest, but also
coolest way to use Marth's God spike. You never use your double jump to spike,
it is saved for getting back onto the ring after the spike. The way this is
done...
Jump out (single, full jump), and spike your enemy. After the spike, jump up
(after the lag time ends on Aerial Down A), and then use over B towards the
stage to close the distance, before using your Up B for the final boost back
onto the stage.
Vert-Spikes: The best way to use Marth's spike, with this, you can spike
people at fairly high altitude levels, fairly far from the stage, and get back
on with zero risk. Simply use the C-stick to do an Aerial down A immediately
after you jump... the result; you'll move upwards while spiking, and can then
drift back towards the stage, and up B if you need to. Vert spikes are great
endings for combos as well, simply use a vert spike after a Fair when the
enemy is over the edge to spike them and finish the combo nice and stylishly.
Dair in Combos: Against most characters, chain this move to foward smash/or
tilt foward by L-canceling it, then doing the attack immediately afterward, at
medium-high percents. Generally, this will hit tip.
Short hopped Aerial Back A (w/ fast fall and L-Cancel): This move is like
fair, but with lag time, and greater knockback. Use it cover Marth's backside,
much the sameway you use forward Aerial to cover the area infront of him. It's
a great juggle finisher, and edge-guarding tool as well. anytime your opponent
is in the air, you can jump and hit them with a tipper Aerial back, at decent
percents this will send them off most stages, if they recover from an attack
that sent them off, and are at to high of an altitude to edge-guard with Over
A smash, use this instead, and then wave-dash backwards for an edge hog
I would also recommend using either this move, or a double fair to follow up a
tilt Up A, both ways work great, and both can be canceled into tipper over A
smash.
Bair in Edge-guarding. Jump off facing away from you're opponent, and Bair
them. Then Up B and grab the edge. Quite simple
Aerial Up A(Short hopped, Fastfalled, L-Canceled)This move is really only
useful when it's delayed, so that you hit tipper and then tough the ground
immediately afterward. it will cover the entire arc above you, and can then be
chained into a tilt up attack, or tipper Over A smash. Other than that, stick
to foward/neutral/back aerials. Otherwise, you can use it to hit through
platforms... but generally fair is better for that.
Marth's Aerial Game overview:*****/*****: It's the best in the game... high
priority, range, excellent juggling capabilities, all his Aerials can be
linked to his Over A smash not to mention linked from his grabs or tilts, and
to other aerials... they all cover an arc, making them defensive and offensive
at the same time; Factor in his spike, which is one of the best in the game,
and what more could you want in an Aerial fighter?
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Throwing, Shield grabbing, Dash grabbing, and chain throws.
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Dash-Canceled Grabs: Marth has excellent grabs. They have supreme range, and
are easily chained, but they do have one weakness, and that is how long Marth
lags after a missed Dash Grab. By Tapping Up on the Joystick Before you grab,
you can cancel out Marth's Dash-Grab lag time, by making him not bend over as
far as he normally does (looks like a standing grab, only he slides)
Shield Grabbing: I've already semi-explained this. Shield Grabbing is executed
by holding down the shield button, and then pressing A to make your character
grab directly out of his shield. This is a very defensive, and critical
tactic. Shield grabs can be used in so many situations, and they also serve as
a completely safe way to set up chain grabs. Since blocking is one of the most
important aspects of SSB:M (Blocking, not rolling, although it is useful too),
this tactic is made all the more godly. IT can be used to grab an opponent
after they come in with an Aerial attack, and can be used to grab an opponent
who foolishly dashes in with a Running A attack. You can punish an adversary
very well with shield grabs. After a blocked Smash attack, it is usually
possible to shield grab immediately (After some smashes, you will need to Dash
forward a bit first). Shield grabs can be used to punish certain tilts (Those
with little pushback). After a successful shield grab, it is usually possible
to begin a chain throw, or chain to aerials.
Chain Throws: Chain throwing is a technique that is executed by grabbing and
throwing an enemy, and then quickly grabbing them again. In order to do this
effectively against most characters, you must grab, Throw Down or Forward, and
then rush in with a Dash Canceled Grab as they are attempting to stand up, or
in the air, against fast-fallers, you must force them to tech, and then get in
another grab afterwards(You can chain throw foward or up btw, foward on
anyone, Up really only works on fastfallers, and especially Fox =D), chain
throwing is extremely useful, since Marth's grab range is about an inch past
his Arm-length, and his grabs throws are all very easily turned into fearsome
juggles.
Following Techs: If the opponent tries to tech away from your chain throw, you
can dash after him and grab him after the tech.
Note: Against Fox, Marth can Chain throw up continuously, simply by up
throwing, then turning to face Fox's DI if he turns again... free grabs until
30% If Fox tries to Directional influence away after 30%, can Over A smash
him. If he Techs, follow him/dashing A.
Grabbing enemies after Aerial Attacks: After an Aerial Forward A (short
hopped, fast fall/L-Cancel), you will land directly in front of your opponent,
immediately capable of grabbing or using neutral A slashes. Grabbing is often
a good Idea, as you can begin a chain throw or juggle afterward. This works
with other Aerials too, and at higher %'s, you may need to use Dash Grabs
after the Aerial. It is possible to grab an enemy while they are falling, and
very useful as well, since they are usually defenseless against it (most
characters don't have as much Aerial range as Marth's Grab).
Dash-dance Grabs: While dash-dancing, it is possible to do a JC dash-grab
straight out of The dash, this often very effective, as dash-dancing is the
prinicple technique of mind-games in SSB:M. you can Dash-dance into a grab
(most people won't expect it, because you can do any attack of a dd, if you
alternate between this, fair, nair, foward b, and forward smash, it will
become difficult to predict your actions.
Using Grab's to set up for other Attacks: Marth's Grabs, in addition to having
great range, and being chainable themselves, can also be chained into Aerial
attacks.
Foward Throw: This throw can very Easily be chained to Marth's Foward tilt,
Aerial Forward, Smash forward (on floaty), or Aerial Neutral A attack. Since
Marth's grabs come out so fast, this is often a great way to start a deadly
fair-nair combination attack.
Up Throw: This grab chains to tilt up... and from their, the possilities are
endless, you can get in another tilt Up on fast-fallers, jump and do a
neutral/double fair, or a back-aerial afterwards, finish them with a forward
smash(They often fall too quickly to DI out of its range)
Down throw: This can be chained into foward tilt, or Foward smash, by turning
around after you do the throw(Foward smash only works on certain characters
however)
Back Throw: Chain to Aerial Back A, or Over A smash.
Marth's Grabbing Game:*****/*****: Again, probably the best in the game, Chain
throws, range, speed, and the same sort of combo options his Aerial game
grants.
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Marth's Tilts, and ways to use them
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Tilt Up A: With out a doubt, this is Marth's best tilt. This technique chains
with up throw (at low %'s), very well, and covers the entire arc above Marth's
head. It is useful for attacking enemies that camp on higher platforms than
you, and for hitting incoming Aerial attackers out of the sky. It can also be
used to hit an opponent after they have been bounced off a wall, and for
setting up Aerials. Since Tilt Up A only launches an enemy slightly off the
ground (at low %'s) it can be chained directly into sweet spot short hopped
double fair or nair, which can then be coupled with L-Cancel and fast fall,
and followed up with a Grab, or another short hopped Aerial/Smash Forward when
the enemy falls after it(mostly on Fastfallers). this move covers both in
front, and above Marth, and is rather quick, it is also an excellent defensive
tool.
Tilt Down A: This moves main purpose, is setting up for Aerial Attacks. A
quick Sweet spot poke from this move is great, because it leave your enemy
stunned, and often boost them a short distance into air. It can be followed up
with short hopped Aerial Forward, or Neutral A very effectively, which can
then be L-Canceled, and brought into other attacks.
By repeated D-Tilting, many times you can get you're opponent to roll or jump
over it... Jump and meet them with an Aerial
The move is also very useful for edge-guarding(stand at the edge, and poke
your opponent), and although it probably won't kill your enemy, it can be used
to put them in tipper range. It's great for playing keep-away as well, if you
wave-dash backwards while doing it, follow the wd with a tipper smash or dash
danced attack.
Tilt Forward A: this move chains with throws and aerials, and is actually
quite powerful for a tilt. A sweet spot Forward Tilt can kill quite easily.
Although it's a quick attack, strong for a tilt, it's main use is to hit roll
aholics. It's very easy to turn around and hit someone that over rolls with
this move(or Marth's forward Aerial), Tilt over also has the range to hit an
incoming opponent, overall, it's a pretty solid attack.
Overall Tilt Game:****/*****: Excellent, His tilts are fast, have
range/priority, and good combo potential, they aren't quiet as uber as his
Aerials or Grabs though.
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Marth's Over A Smash
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If your wondering why I'm not going to cover Marth's Up and Down Smashes, the
reason is because both suck. Marth's Up Smash is easily DI'd out of, and
Inferior to his tilt up A in every way, his down Smash is too slow, and laggy
to be off any use.
Dragon Slayer, Everyone's favorite move: This is Marth's over A smash, and as
anyone who's played the game knows, its insanely powerful. A tipper Smash can
kill at 40% on many stages, and its rather quick as well. It shouldn't be
spammed, because it's to easily avoided then, however, it is completely
awesome when chained from aerials, or combined with wave-dashing.
Wave Dashing with Dragon Slayer: Wave dashing, is the name given to dodging
along the ground while immediately after jumping, which will cause a character
to slide along the ground. What is special about wave dashing? Any attack can
be done during a wave dash. Wave dashing is an excellent way to set up for
tipper smashes. if an enemy uses an attack that is semi slow, has bad lag, or
a long duration say for instance, Sheik's Down Smash, you can usually wave
dash backwards, and hit
her with a tipper smash, while she's spinning, this works with just about any
attack that has moderate lag, but it requires a bit of anticipation.
Note: Stages Like battlefield Make Marth even deadlier, because its so Easy to
score Tipper Smashes by hitting an Enemy that is standing on top of one of
those slightly raised platforms.
I might add, it's better to use the C-stick for smashes, because C-Stick
smashes are quicker than using the joystick for a smash, and very rarely will
you ever need to charge a smash.
Marth's OVER A Smash Game:*****/*****: Easily the best smash attack in the
game, and with so many ways to set up for it, it's nothing short of
spectacular.
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Dashing A
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth's Dashing A is a nice quick slash that Newbs love to spam... it's really
quite useful though. Generally You should use it as a follow up, or after the
opponent techs. A tip hit from this bounces the opponent back behind you.
This is particularly useful against Fox and in chain throw combos, because the
move has enough range to punish pretty much any tech if you follow them
correctly.
Often times, the Dashing A will send the opponent backwards enough for you to
turn and grab them, or at higher %'s, for a tipper.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth's B moves
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shield Breaker: this move sucks, the only thing it's good for is... Breaking
shields! ^_^. Two uncharged swipes from shield breaker, will break a shield,
leaving your enemy open to another attack, although I don't find this move to
useful.
Dancing Blade: This move is fairly useful when done out of a dash-dance, due
to the fact that if the first attack hits, the other four will as well.
Dolphin Slash: Only use this move to get back on the ring
Counter: Most of you will be surprised, but this move sucks and is to be used
very seldom in a serious battle. Only use it against very predictable
opponents, or to edge guard Fox, and others that have damaging Up B's(still so
inferior to Spiking though/Over A smash though. The problem with Counter, is
that every time you
miss it (often against a skilled player), you eat a smash attack.
Marth's B-Move Game:**/*****: Not very good... His Over B is decent though,
and his Up B is one of the best recovery Methods, because it's pretty safe.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
You should stick to the air, Marth is simply unrivald there, use your throws
and tilt up/down to set up for devasting fair chains; abuse chain grabs/the
double fair, set up for over A smash, punish w/ over smash, wd to align for a
tipper, and make the kill)
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Combination attacks
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
One thing is important to note about combos on SSB:M... rather than preset
button combinations, SSB:M actually has real combos, not just moves that look
like them; and they change with percentage. seeing as how, due to the games
unbroken fighting system, any combo can be broken out of by directional
influence, hitting the enemy first, or blocking a part of it; I won't cover
specific guaranteed combos; because unlike most fighters, theres no 214b QCB-
RC 2b that is completely unstoppable.
Marth however, by the nature of his moves, is one of the best jugglers in the
game... all his moves have great priority and range, so he can chain his
attacks(especially up tilt, and his aerials) with relative ease. It's best to
use either a foward aerial or grab to start marth's combos, but from there,
your really free. What attack you should use, will need to become instictive;
due to the fact that you can't memorize a button combination on this game.
That being said, I'd recommend following up marth's fair with a delayed aerial
up A or tilt up A, and going from there. if you use his delayed up air, I'd
suggest you follow that up with a tilt up or two, and then possibly continue
with a couple of foward Aerials, L-Canceled into forward smash. Fair into up
tilt, can usually be followed by another double fair or aerial back, possible
an aerial neutral as well.
Use Chain throws(I personally am fond of up throw>>>up tilt, very quick and
safe), Aerials to carry on combos, and you should generally try to end them
with forward smash if you think you can score a tipper (Most of the time, you
can score a tipper on an airborne enemy... if they do air-dodge, be ready to
grab them when they hit the ground.
You should use walls to your advantage; by bouncing your enemies of them, you
can create far more devestating combinations than you could on standing ground.
basically, you need to use Marth's grabs or foward aerial to start combos,
linke them into other Aerials, and then finish with foward smash. Don't get to
methodical about it though... if your enemy breaks out, you need to stop
immediately, to avoid getting shield grabbed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The wonderful World of Wave-dashing... In mind-games!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wave-dashing is a very useful tool... Marth's wave-dash is quite long, and is
one of the best methods he possesses for setting up tipper smashes (Often you
need to wd backward quickly and deliver a wavesmash to score a tipper at the
end of a combo, rather than just cancel>>>smash.)
However, Wavedashing can be used in other way as well... due to how
effectively you can control movement with it(fast dash in-outs, quick atack
lingks, fake-outs), I recommend using it over Rolling... and even over
dashing.
It's very easy to use WD in fake-outs... simply jump in or dash CC or wd in as
if you were going to attack, and then quickly wave-dash backwards. The point
is to cause you're enemy to whiff an attack, and then punish them with you're
own(depending on the lag after the attack they whiff, you could get in a
forward smash this way)
Wave-dancing(Wave-dashing back and fourth over and over again) works like dash-
dancing, because you can do any attack out of it; any tip i've given for
dd>>>x attack during this guide will also work with wave-dancing.
Wave-dashing to edge-hog: When you're enemy has used their up B, and they are
barely going to make it back by grabbing the edge... what could you do? Easy,
grab the edge so they can't, causing them to die. What if you don't have time
to jump back and grab the edge? WD to the rescue! Wave-dashing backwards of
the stage will very quickly cause Marth to slide off the stage, and grab the
edge; effectively killing an opponent who is in this position.
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Home Run Contest Strategies
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpt from Sskeeto's FAQ on Gamefaqs.com. If you need any strategies
concerning HRC, That FAQ is your best bet.
~~~~~~~~
x. Marth
~~~~~~~~
~~ Bat Drop Up+A ~~
Stand right next to the Sandbag. Jump, a half-second after the peak of your
jump, drop the bat, then immediately press up+A. The single jump combo will do
27% max.
~~ Bat Drop Down+A ~~
Stand right next to the Sandbag. Jump, at the peak of your jump, drop the bat.
Wait a quarter-second and right before your toes touch the top of the Sandbag
to press down+A. The single jump combo does 29% damage max.
Beginner
1. Jump to the right, aerial down+A(land on the Sandbag's left)
2. Face the Sandbag, 4 small jump up+As(hit the Sandbag on the way up)
3. Fully-charged B toward the left wall
4. Grab the bat, dash to the right, no-ping hit
Bull's-eye: 1300+ feet (400+ m.)
Easy
(Strategy created by nismojoe)
1. Grab the bat, dash toward the Sandbag
2. 1 single jump bat drop up+A with l-cancel
3. 1 single jump bat drop down+A with l-cancel
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 twice
5. Forward+B
6. Tipper
Bull's-eye: 2000+ feet (600+ m.)
Medium
1. Grab the bat
2. Up+A(2 hits)
3. 5 single jump bat drop down+A combos with L-cancels and air catches
4. Tipper(154%)
Bull's-eye: 2250+ feet (680+ m.)
Advanced
1. Grab the bat
2. Neutral+A (7%)
3. Two single jump bat drop up+As with air catches, fast falls, and L-cancels
4. Four single jump bat drop down+As with air catches and L-cancels
5. Grab the bat, tipper
Bull's-eye: 2600+ feet (800+ m.)
Hard
(Strategy submitted by Thomeyis)
1. Grab bat, run to bag, double jump bat drop up+A
2. Another double jump bat drop up+A
3. Single jump bat drop down+A
4. Single jump bat drop neutral+A
5. Single jump bat drop down+A
6. Single jump bat drop neutral+A
7. Single jump bat drop down+A
8. Walk forward a bit, catch, tipper
Bull's-eye: 2800+ feet (860+ m.)
Intense
(Strategy submitted by Thomeyis)
1. Grab bat, run to the bag, double jump bat drop up+A
2. Single jump bat drop down+A
3. Single jump bat drop neutral+A
4. Single jump bat drop down+A
5. 3 Single jump bat drop neutral+A
6. Single jump Bat drop down+A
7. Catch the bat, tipper
Bull's-eye: 3000+ feet (920+ m.)
Expert
(Strategy created by kero)
1. Grab the bat and dash to the bag, double jump and do a bat drop up+A. (29%)
2. Do the following BD's ~ down+A, neutral+A, down+A, neutral+A, down+A ~ all
the neutral A BD's move the bag left while the down A BD's move the bag right.
3. Jump to grab the bag and move right gently to the bag, when you get over
the bag, do a neutral A BD, moving the bag left. (177%)
4. Catch the bat and jump left over the bag, doing a bat drop down+A to move
the bag right. (204%)
5. Walk right to the bat, pick it up, and swing for a tipper.
Bull's-eye: 3150+ feet (960+ m.)
Expert
(Strategy created by Sakura)
1. Grab the bat
2. Aerial forward+A
3. 1 bat drop up+A without rejumping
4. 7 bat drop down+As
5. Forward+B (224%)
6. Grab the bat, tipper
Bull's-eye: 3650+ feet (1160+ m.)
Claps for Sskeetos FAQ. Great job ^_^
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Character Specific Strategies
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Mario: This isn't really all that hard, the most frusterating part about
this match up, pills... but other than that, it's pretty easy. Dr. Mario
doesn't have anywhere near Marth's range or priority, so if you can cover
yourself well enough, it'll be pretty hard for him to get in a decent hit. His
aerial foward A is pretty powerful, and has surprising range, but it's amoung
his slower moves, so it's not that difficult to shield grab. Since marth
doesn't have a projectile, if he goes pill happy, you need to try to cancel
out his pills with your attacks, and close the distance as soon as possible.
Doc is pretty floaty, making him REALLY easy to chain throw foward, but pretty
difficult to combo upwards(it can be done, but not past a few hits.) Dr. mario
has laughable recovery, so if you can edge-guard him remotely well, and edge-
hog, he's as good as dead.
Mario: He's faster than Doc, and not quite as floaty(still plenty floaty
enough foward chain throw forward however ^_^), and just like every other
character in the game, he's outclassed in the range/priority department by
marth, Follow the tips given against the doc for the most part, but you don't
have to worry about his fireballs that much; they are nothing comparet to
Doc's pills. He's also much easier to combo vertically than Doc is, so be sure
to use that to your advantage.
Luigi: This is like the god of float&slide... mostly due to his wave-dash,
that will cover the entire length of Final Destination; but He's not to
different from the other mario brothers in many respects. He's still easily
chain thrown foward, and at low percents, he's pretty easy to combo vertically
or horizontally; not a difficult match up at all, same tactics that worked
with the doc/Mario work here too, it's just a bit more difficult to keep up
with him because if his god-wave-dash.
Note about the brothers: you'll want to kill them pretty quickly... because
they become very difficult to combo at percents around 100 or so.
Bowser: This pathetically easy... he's a HUGE target, and just screams *juggle
me!* He's too slow to stop you, if you whiff an attack, you can still get in
another one before he manages to move. He's easy to edge-guard, and is chain
throw up or foward, he's easy to juggle... he just gets destroyed by Marth.
Peach: She's too light and floaty for her own good... Fair spam and chain
throw her forward for the most part, and then kill her by using your throw
forward forward smash combo... This can be a tough match up because it's
fairly hard to combo with turnips flying everywhere, and Float Cancels aerials
are Evil... EVIL! She's out ranged, but only slightly out prioritized.
However... she's very easy to kill. and chain throw(I mean, how much easier
than chain throw forward-forward smash can you get?) Definately one of Marth's
more favored match-ups. Her turnips can be pretty annoying, but you can catch
them and throw them back at her pretty easily; and her down smash/forward
throw are powerful as well; but aren't going to help her that much; and
although her recovery is great... it's to easy to edge-guard.
Yoshi: I'm really not sure on this one... I've never seen a good yoshi (not
saying they don't exist), but for the most part, you'll be fine following
Standard Marth tactics(Foward Aerial; juggles, kill with smashes, chain throw)
Donkey Kong: He's really to slow to keep up with you... watch out for his
Aerial Back A though; and you really don't need to chain throw that much
against him either, Stick to the Air... and edge-guard him(he was one of the
worst recovery's, so it shouldn't be that difficult.
Captain Falcon: This one's a good one... He might not have your range... but
he's FAST, meaning he can close the distance between you and him in no time...
He has a deadly Aerial game(The knee, and marth is the perfect weight for his
throw down chain throw, and aerial neutral A combos) This one could be pretty
tough; If falcon tries to chain throw you, I suggest you try to hit him with
fair before he gets to you... and even though he's dangerous in the air, you
need to try and use your range to get off safe hit s against him. His recovery
isn't bad, but he's still pretty easily edge-guarded by Marth; and due to his
fast falling speed, he isn't that difficult to combo... this is a pretty even
match however, it's really going to come down to who's the better player.
Ganondorf: Same as captain falcon, he has chain throws, good Aerials(Way to
strong... his Aerial over/Back A's can kill you like smash attacks), and
except for running, he isn't that slow either. This is a pretty even match
too, Ganondorf is very powerful, and he has range/priority too. He's
surprising hard to kill(He survive's very strong attacks at high percentages),
and since Marth isn't a heavy weight, Ganondorf can kill Marth pretty easily.
Thankfully, ganondorf can be chain thrown easily, and combo'd relatively
simply. This is one of Marth's harder matches, but standard tactics work here
(Chain throw him, and abuse forward air, edge-guard his poor recovery with
tipper smashes(set up for this with down tilt... it's fairly important to hit
tipper against him, because it's your only chance of killing him quickly)
Falco:He falls fast, and he's fairly easy to combo... his recovery SUCKS as
well, so I'm not going to cover how to combat him, because due to his falling
speed, 90% of the stuff in the Fox section works here too, but you do need to
be aware of ths short hopped lasers... they will stun you, and lock you down
pretty badly if you try to block them; meaning you need to jump over them, and
try to close the distance between you and falco quickly. This is a pretty
difficult bttle if your playing a good falco... SHL's can be extremely
frusterating, and make this battle far more difficult than the one against
Fox.
Fox: Ok... Marth owns Fox, completely, and totally. literally, you can chain
throw up forever against this guy, if he tries to DI, you can easily just do a
JC dash-grab towards him, and grab him/ throw up up again... he's rediculously
easy to combo with up tilt, as he'll just fall right back into it, and after
up tilt/throw, no matter what he tries to do, he's going to fall within range
of Marth's sword...(foward Air, forward smash, ect) You have Aerial priority
over him as well, so it's going to be difficult for him to stop your attacks
with his own. He does however, have a speed advantage, and he can use his
shines to push you back, or his laser to try and make you come to him...(If
that happens, just run up and grab him/ or hit him with an aerial, and proceed
to combo the hell out of him.) his recovery is fairly easy to edge-guard a
well. If he uses over B, can hit him with aerial back A if he's at a high
enough angle; or if he's closer to your own, block his attack, and foward
smash him while he's lagging his foward B. If he uses up B, you should be able
to spike him without to much trouble(or smash him out of it)
Ness: Simple, standard Marth tactics. He hasn't the range, power, or speed to
keep up with you.
Ice Climbers: Although you're fighting two people, this still isn't the most
difficult of fights, you out prioritize both of them; just like every other
character, double fair/uair-tilts are great for seperating the two, you can
then kill Nana in a matter of seconds. best to keep them split up, hold one
off with b-air while combating the other with the standard Marth tactics.
Kirby: agian, standard Marth tactics work well, he's floaty, so be sure to
abuse chain throws and throw/aerial combos.
Samus: This one can be tricky if you're playing a good samus.. this girl's got
more tricks than any other character... between bomb-jumps, missle cancels, it
can be difficult to see exactly wtf you're doing, making her extremely
dangerous... Assuming the player is good with her, and at mindgames. Still
combating her is just like any other character, though be prepared to cancel
out Missles with AFA very often, and try to stay as close to her as possible.
Zelda: Just like Peach, this ones easy. Too floaty/light, owned by juggles and
chain throws/smash combos.
Sheik: Ugh... This is a pain in the ***... Sheik is FAST; infact she's the
only character that Marth will have difficulty hanging with if he sticks to
her... she will use needles to bait you into attacking her, which can be a
mistake. Her down throw is evil, and every move she has leads into AFA, her
best killing move. Her down smash is very quick, and can be quite annoying if
your facing a CC *****; never the less, Sheik doesn't have your range, you're
power, or your priority. Her grabs kickass, but yours are better, and she's
not difficult to combo in the slightest. This match will come down to who can
play mind-games the best, and who's the better player overall, both characters
are capable of decimating the other at alarming rates; good luck.
Link&Young Link: Both of these characters are swordsmen, but they lack a good
enough air game, and have horrible grabs... making them pretty easy pickings.
They have projectiles, but they are slow, and easy to defend against; Link
trying to fight Marth in the air is pointless, you'll **** him.
Pika&Pikachu: Standard tactics; both are easy to own with standard Marth
tactics, although a bit short... This shouldn't be a real problem, they are so
light they die from a tipper at 40% on any stage, and lack any real options
against you.
Jiggs: This ones pretty tough, I reccommend you stick close to her, and watch
out for WOP... (repeated aerial backs) this is a pain in the ***. She can
attack very rapidly, and lock you down in no time, thankfully, you should be
able to kill her quickly with Aerials/Smash combos, and your throws still
viable, but I don't like risking getting anywhere near a Jiggly in uber WoP
mode...
Mewtwo: Exact same thing as Zelda and Peach, but he has stronger grabs, which
means... nothing.
G&W: Same as mewtwo, quite an annoying down tilt though, be sure you try to
keep him away as much as possible, so he doesn't get a chance to use it.
Marth: You own yourself... except that he can own you back. Chain throws rock
in MvM match ups, but the winner is going to be the person who's capable of
getting off the most tipper aerials with the highest success rate.
Roy: Roy is a slower version of yourself, but plays completely differently.
You **** him in teh air, but he's quite powerful none the less. Be cautious,
try not to fall for the w-d back smash trap, and follow standard Marth
tactics... this actually a pretty difficult match for Marth, because his down
tilt sets up for many of his best options against you quite easily; and his
Over B is superior to yours... used wisely it can be quite frusterating.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A General Word of Caution about Killing with Marth
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Do it Early... it's very difficult at high %'s because most of your options
that combo well into forward smash no longer work. If you end up facing an
enemy at very high %'s, your're best bet is to use N-Air to get him of the
edge, and then bair to kill him, edge hog if needed, or start using F-tilt.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you; Enjoy the guide
Well I Have been using Marth for two years now Pretty even character easy to use
and very standard.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth is a Character first introduced to America in SSB:M, and is taken
from the Japanese only Game Fire Emblem, as is his Counter Part Roy
(more on that later). It was a surprise to Many, as very Few of us in the
States knew anything about Marth or Roy, when they first appeared on SSB:M,
and they very soon became popular characters in the states as well as Japan.
Marth is an excellent character to play as, while his learning Curve is high
the rewards are as well. Marth is Fast, and Has the arguably the best grabs
In the game, due to how fast they come out, and how well they can start a
combo. He is also quite Strong once you master Sweet spot hits, and can K.O
at Very Low %'s. During this FAQ we will Cover the Basics of Playing Marth,
his attacks, and effective strategies to absolutely own your friends at their
next Birthday party ^_^
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlocking Marth
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth is a secret character, in order to unlock him; You can Either Beat
Classic Mode with all the default Characters, and after the last, Marth will
Challenge you. Defeat him and He is yours!. Note: Marth can also be unlocked
Simply using the original 14 Characters in Versus Mode, or by playing 400 Vs.
Mode Matches.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Controls
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walk: Barely tilt the control stick in the direction you wish to walk
Run: Tilt the Joystick about halfway in the direction you wish to run
Dash: Mash the control stick in the direction you wish to run
Jump: Control stick Up, X/Y button
Double jump: Control stick up, X/Y buttons while already in air.
Attack: A button/control stick in various directions, pick up items.
Special Attacks: B button/control stick in various directions
Block: Hold L or R
Roll: Hold L or R, and press the joystick left or right
Dodge: Hold L or R and press the joystick Down
Mid-Air roll: L or R in mid-air
Grab: Z button
Throw: Z button + joystick in various directions, drop items, (Z+>>any
direction on control stick to throw an item.)
Pose: Up on Directional Pad.
Teching: A tech roll, cancel out your recovery time, by pressing L as soon as
you hit the ground recovering from an aerial attack. You can roll immediately
afterwards, which is called a Tech Roll
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth's Sweet spot
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth, and his twin Roy, Both wield Swords. Each of theses Swords has a
Sweet spot, and when an attack connects on the Sweet spot, it will do more
Damage, as well as have much greater Knock back. Marth's Sweet spot, is the Tip
Of his Sword. To become successful with Marth, you must master hitting with
the Tip, so that you can kill enemies at Lower %'s, and rack up damage Faster.
This is very important so remember This. Throughout the rest of the guide,
I will list Damages for Both Sweet spot hits, and misses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth's attacks
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legend: >tilt joystick: barely tap the joystick in the direction
>>: Smash Joystick: bash the joystick in that direction
NOTE: Attack Names Taken From IGN's SSB:M Guide, thanks guys.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Normal Attacks: all of these are down with a slight tilt in the
direction, and then the A button.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Slash A Damage 2-4%
Sweet spot Damage 3-6%
Falchion Slash Combo A+AAA... Damage 2-4% per hit
Sweet spot Damage 3-6% per hit
Leg Slash While dashing A Damage 6-11%
Sweet spot Damage 7-12%
Sharp Edge >right/left A Damage 5-9%
Sweet spot Damage 7-13%
Upper Slash >up A Damage 5-9%
Sweet spot Damage 9-13%
Low Stab >down A Damage 4-8%
Sweet spot Damage 5-10%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Smash Attacks: The following three techniques can all be charged by holding
down the buttons required to do them, say for instance, hold >>Right/Left A
to charge a Dragon Slayer and increase the damage done, and the Knock back.
Once you become good, you'll never need to charge anyway.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dragon Slayer >>right/left A Damage 7%-14%
Charged Damage 10%-19%
Sweet spot Damage 11%-20%
Sweet spot Charged 15%-27%
Winning Thrust >>Up A Damage 4%-8%
Charged Damage 6%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 11%-18%
Sweet spot Charged 16%-24%
Whirlwind Slash >>Down A First Slash Damage 6%-11%
First Slash Charged 8%-
15%
Sweet spot First Slash 9%-16%
Sweet spot First Charged 12%-21%
Second Slash Damage 6-11%
Second Slash Charged 8-15%
Sweet spot Second Slash 9%-16%
Sweet spot Second Charged 12%-21%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aerial Attacks: I shouldn't have to say this, but all of the following
attacks are done while in the air, and are down with either a tilt or smash
of the control stick, and the A or Z button.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Twin Slash A Damage
Sweet spot Damage
Aerial Swipe >or>> right A Damage 4%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 7%-13%
About Face >or>> left A Damage 5%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 7%-13%
Luna Slash >or>> up A Damage 5%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 7%-13%
Half Moon >or>> down A Damage 5%-10%
Sweet spot Damage 7%-13%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Attacks: These are Marth's unique abilities. They are executed by
Pushing The Joystick and B button in the specified Direction. Dancing Blade,
is quite interesting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shield Breaker B(hold to charge) Damage 1%-25%
Dolphin Slash >or>>Up B Damage 3%-13%
Note: This attack is strongest when you hit during the beginning Animation,
and opposite of Marth's other moves, when you are very close to opponent.
Reverse Dolphin Slash: This powerful technique is executed by running at your
opponent and hitting back on the Control stick just as you execute Up B. If
done correctly, Marth will Dolphin slash in the opposite direction, and it
will have greater knock back than a standard Dolphin slash. Not to important
since this move sucks as an offensive tactic.
Dancing Blade >or>>right/left B Damage Varies Greatly
Counter >or>>down B Damage
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Grabs & Throws: These attacks are executed by pressing the Z button, or by
pressing A while shielding to grab your enemy. Once you've grabbed them, they
can be thrown in any direction by pressing left, right, up, or down on the
control stick.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Grab Z/A while shielding Damage: N/A
Knee A during grab Damage: 1-3%
Throw Up >or>>up during grab Damage: 1-4%
Throw Down >or>>down during grab Damage: 2-5%
Throw Forward >or>>forward during grab Damage: 1-4%
Throw Back >or>>back during grab Damage: 1-4%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth Strategies
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
An explanation of the advanced tactics you will need to know to play Marth
Short hops: Small jumps, used to decrease the Airtime needed for Aerial Attacks
L-Cancel: Pressing L/R/Z after an Aerial attack just before you hit the ground
to cancel out the Aerial Attacks Lag time. All your Aerials (Which are about
50% of a good Marth players game) should be L-Canceled.
Fast fall: Press Down during an Aerial Attack to make Marth fall Faster, thus
enabling him to reach the ground faster for another attack.
Dash Canceled Grabs: Press Up while running just as you are doing a grab to
Make Marth do a Dash Canceled Grab, Dash Canceled grabs have less of a lag
time than Normal Dash-Grabs.
Wave Dashing: Wave Dashing is short hopping, and then mid-air dodging into the
ground to make your character slide along the terrain. Wave Dashing is great,
because any attack can be executed during the Dash. It is mostly used to set
up for Tipper Smashes, playing mind-games, at If you're confident, it is a
superior means of movement, as it offers greater control, and inables quick
dash in/outs
Shield Grabbing: While Holding R/L(Shield), press the A button to grab. This
is a very useful tactic, as you can block most attacks, and then grab your
opponent immediately while they are still lagging from the blocked attack.
Crouch-Cancel: Press down on the Joystick while you being hit by an attack
with low power; this will make you crouch, and recover from the weak hit
(Example, neutral A's, or other low knockback moves), and capable of attacking
immediately. You can crouch cancel a dash to cause Marth to come to a complete
stop
DI:Directional influence away from combos or attacks; use this while being
juggled, and swat away incoming enemies with you fair.
Dash-Dancing: Running back and forth as fast as you can; the point? mind-
games, you can do any attack out of a dash-dance(fair, tilts, smashes, grabs),
making it a principal technique; if you can keep your opponetn guessing, you
have a much greater chance of winning(I also use CC/out of DD to durn around
quickly)
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Marth, The Aerial God
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Let it be said now, Marth is the BEST Aerial fighter in SSB:M, without
question. He has Aerial Priority over every other character in the game, and
his excellent range, combined with the how easily his aerials are chained, and
the kill options they provide(Almost all of them chain to foward smash =D),
Even the mighty sheik fails to equal Marth in the air.
Marth's Aerial Forward A(Short hopped, Fast-falled, and L-Canceled): This is,
without a doubt, Marth's best Aerial attack, and arguably the best aerial in
the game. This move covers Marth's entire foward Arc, making it a notable part
of both his offense, and defense(rather than shield, Marth can hit an opponent
with fair, which outranges almost anything, he can then combo them from there)
This move is easily chained into, or from Marth's throw foward, it can chain
to his Tilt Up A, which can then be chained into further Aerials(Another
foward or back aerial in most cases.) This Marth's most important move, it is
important for you understand how to use it in the following ways...
As a part of Marth's defensive game(note... I don't reccomend you do this for
too long, Marth doesn't need to be particularly defensive): Short hop, and
then immediately use Marth's Forward Aerial... notice anything? it covers from
the top of your head, to your feet, and has rediculous range and priority. By
short hopping backwards and using marth's Fair(foward-air), then L-Canceling
into into another attack(his tilt foward, down tilt, or optimally, another
foward/neutral Aerial. Most characters cannot keep up with Marth while he's
doing this, adding wave-dashing to this defensive game can make it all the
more deadly(Sh/FF/LC foward Air, if they get close, wave-dash backwards, then
jump and do another forward Aerial attack) I reccomend doing this, and then
juggling from your first successful tipper fair... one of the best ways to do
this is to use the most important tactic in Marth' Arsenal... his...
Double Forward-Aerial goodness: Short hop(you can do this by standing(not
reccomended)(DIing your short hop foward/or back), and then use Forward Aerial
attack twice VERY quickly, fast-fall, L-Cancel, jump, repeat... the best and
most important move in marth's Arsenal): The Double fair, is the base of any
good Marth's game, it enables you to hit your opponent twice in literally,
about a 1/2 second... L-Canceling this means you can get away with this two or
three times... meaning 5 or 6 hit Fair chains, double Fair, as normal fair,
can be canceled into grabs, done from grabs, done repeatedly, chained to up
tilt, and then another double fair.. chained to f-smash... basically it's just
taking the usefullness of the original, and turning into Marth's most
essential technique... what's even better, if you hit tipper with the first
fair... your almost certainly going to hit it with the second one as well,
which besides leading to the best juggle combos in the game, does very good
damage as well.
Cancelling Marth's Double/Single fair into Foward smash: This probably the
best way to kill an enemy with Marth, simply do a short hopped double/single
fair, then after the second fair, fast-fall, L-Cancel, and hit C-stick over.
The smash attack will come out almost immediately after the fair hits, and the
fair will more than likely have bounced them into the air... putting them in
perfect range for a tipper smash, that means, any character in the game will
die if this technique is executed properly, will die. This doesn't
neccessarily need to be a tipper attack to be devastating though =D.
JJC Fair Combos: These are executed by performing fair, JJC fair, and then
another fair. All tippers. Useful for doing damage, most of the time you'll
want to do these from a Dash dance. normally, this will push you're opponent
over the edge... in which case you should start edge guarding them for the
kill (Tipper, Wd Tipper, D-tilt)
Using Marth's Foward Aerial to recover from attacks: After Marth has been hit,
and your opponent begins to jump at you in an attempt to attack you (juggle
you, ect), you can simply use Marth's Fair to hit them away, then fast-fall,
and land on the ground, or alternatively, turn their juggle into your own,
with a double fair =D. If an opponent is trying to juggle you with a throw(or
tilts), you can jump backwards, and then hit them with fair, Using your fair
like this(Example, Sheik down throws you, tries to do Aerial Over, you jump
backwards and hit her with your fair(If you double jump, hit the character
trying to attack you with this move while fast-falling) Likewise, you can do
this move after blocking an attack, similar to the way you would do a shield
grab; which basically means you can get free hits of blocked attacks.
Marth's Fair with Dash-dancing(Or closing distance): Doing dash fair out of a
dash dance is extremely effective for marth, it's range/arc make the attack
difficult to dodge, simply short hop out of the dash dance and then deliever a
quick double fair, or Fair JJC combo. By using a combination of fair/grabs out
of dash-dances, you can keep your enemy guessing quite well, and can deliever
a kill with foward smash out of wd or dd
It should also be noted, that Marth's double Fair can be L-canceled, and then
repeated multiple times at medium percent, presuming you can hit tip... these
strings can become very deadly, four tip fairs+tipper forward smash is enough
to kill almost anything, and if you can space properly, and are fast enough to
jump IMMEDIATELY after the first double fair, this is possible to say the
least.
Short hopped Aerial Neutral A (w/ Fast fall and L Cancel): It is executed just
like short hopped Aerial Forward A, by tapping up on the Control stick (or
barely pressing Y/X), Fastfall, and then L-Cancel: This attack continues
Marth's Legacy of Aerial ownage... It's more powerful than any of his other
Aerials, and it has a very long duration, making it very useful as a defensive
tool. It's only drawback is the fact that it doesn't cover an entire arc like
his other Aerials do. It can however, be canceled into marth's tilt up, then
followed by a double fair, or anything else. After hitting with a tilt up A,
you can also jump and use The neutral Aerial attack knock them away(this
aerial attack can kill at decent percent... but it's main use is to get them
off the edge, then edge-guard your opponent to death.) This attack is often
chained with marth's double/single fair for fabulous results. use a double
fair, L-Cancel, then short hop again, and use his Neutral Aerial, I reccomend
you influence the short-hops direction foward, so that you can follow up with
a tilt foward or/ over A smash attack.
Short-Hop Neutral Air-Fair strings. This move is like fair, due to the fact
that if you SH/FF/LC it, you can do it over and over again, or combine it with
Fair for very stylish, and damaging attack strings, that can be finished with
a spike, forward smash, or tilt foward A(Grabs can also be added to these
chains, used to begin them, or end them) Due to the fact that this move has
the greatest knockback of all Marth's Aerials, you should use it to finish a
combo that involves bouncing your opponent off walls.
Using Neutral Aerial as a part of Marth's Defense: You can do this the same
way you can do Fair (Short hop backwards, Nair, FF-LC), it doesn't cover an
arc, but if successful, it will get you some breathing room. I would use this
during high altitude fights to clear some distance between you and you're
opponent, and give you time to get back to the ground. Thank's to it's long
duration, it's also very useful when you're playing mindgames and predict the
opponent's going to jump/dash for you... Sh backwards and meet them with this.
Note about chaining this move to Tilt Up: You can only do this at REALLY low
percents, or against walls... either way, it's better to use this move after
fair, or to finish an aerial chain(I tell you to start them from Fair because
it's safer, and you can do it out of dash-dancing more effectively, not to
mention fair works just like a shield grab, after you block an attack, you can
jump out of your shield to cancel it and fair your opponent, very effective;
my favorite way to attack after a blocked move.=)
Aerial Down A: The spike from which there is no return
Simply put, this move kicks *** one you get it down pat. It's not classified
as a real Meteor smash, so it can't be meteor-canceled out of, and can kill
anyone at 0%. A few good ways to use this uber move. Stand on the edge of the
stage as your opponent is recovering, and wait until they get very close
(directly under you, about to grab the edge or Up B) immediately do a short
hopped Aerial Down A to spike them into oblivion.
Throw Down Works Very well with this move as well, you will need to know, and
abuse this combo. Grab facing way from the edge, throw Down, Short hop
backwards straight into Aerial Down A(note, this is defeated by DI).
The Third way to use this move is by jumping out above your opponent, and
spiking them as they attempt to recover. This is the riskiest, but also
coolest way to use Marth's God spike. You never use your double jump to spike,
it is saved for getting back onto the ring after the spike. The way this is
done...
Jump out (single, full jump), and spike your enemy. After the spike, jump up
(after the lag time ends on Aerial Down A), and then use over B towards the
stage to close the distance, before using your Up B for the final boost back
onto the stage.
Vert-Spikes: The best way to use Marth's spike, with this, you can spike
people at fairly high altitude levels, fairly far from the stage, and get back
on with zero risk. Simply use the C-stick to do an Aerial down A immediately
after you jump... the result; you'll move upwards while spiking, and can then
drift back towards the stage, and up B if you need to. Vert spikes are great
endings for combos as well, simply use a vert spike after a Fair when the
enemy is over the edge to spike them and finish the combo nice and stylishly.
Dair in Combos: Against most characters, chain this move to foward smash/or
tilt foward by L-canceling it, then doing the attack immediately afterward, at
medium-high percents. Generally, this will hit tip.
Short hopped Aerial Back A (w/ fast fall and L-Cancel): This move is like
fair, but with lag time, and greater knockback. Use it cover Marth's backside,
much the sameway you use forward Aerial to cover the area infront of him. It's
a great juggle finisher, and edge-guarding tool as well. anytime your opponent
is in the air, you can jump and hit them with a tipper Aerial back, at decent
percents this will send them off most stages, if they recover from an attack
that sent them off, and are at to high of an altitude to edge-guard with Over
A smash, use this instead, and then wave-dash backwards for an edge hog
I would also recommend using either this move, or a double fair to follow up a
tilt Up A, both ways work great, and both can be canceled into tipper over A
smash.
Bair in Edge-guarding. Jump off facing away from you're opponent, and Bair
them. Then Up B and grab the edge. Quite simple
Aerial Up A(Short hopped, Fastfalled, L-Canceled)This move is really only
useful when it's delayed, so that you hit tipper and then tough the ground
immediately afterward. it will cover the entire arc above you, and can then be
chained into a tilt up attack, or tipper Over A smash. Other than that, stick
to foward/neutral/back aerials. Otherwise, you can use it to hit through
platforms... but generally fair is better for that.
Marth's Aerial Game overview:*****/*****: It's the best in the game... high
priority, range, excellent juggling capabilities, all his Aerials can be
linked to his Over A smash not to mention linked from his grabs or tilts, and
to other aerials... they all cover an arc, making them defensive and offensive
at the same time; Factor in his spike, which is one of the best in the game,
and what more could you want in an Aerial fighter?
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Throwing, Shield grabbing, Dash grabbing, and chain throws.
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Dash-Canceled Grabs: Marth has excellent grabs. They have supreme range, and
are easily chained, but they do have one weakness, and that is how long Marth
lags after a missed Dash Grab. By Tapping Up on the Joystick Before you grab,
you can cancel out Marth's Dash-Grab lag time, by making him not bend over as
far as he normally does (looks like a standing grab, only he slides)
Shield Grabbing: I've already semi-explained this. Shield Grabbing is executed
by holding down the shield button, and then pressing A to make your character
grab directly out of his shield. This is a very defensive, and critical
tactic. Shield grabs can be used in so many situations, and they also serve as
a completely safe way to set up chain grabs. Since blocking is one of the most
important aspects of SSB:M (Blocking, not rolling, although it is useful too),
this tactic is made all the more godly. IT can be used to grab an opponent
after they come in with an Aerial attack, and can be used to grab an opponent
who foolishly dashes in with a Running A attack. You can punish an adversary
very well with shield grabs. After a blocked Smash attack, it is usually
possible to shield grab immediately (After some smashes, you will need to Dash
forward a bit first). Shield grabs can be used to punish certain tilts (Those
with little pushback). After a successful shield grab, it is usually possible
to begin a chain throw, or chain to aerials.
Chain Throws: Chain throwing is a technique that is executed by grabbing and
throwing an enemy, and then quickly grabbing them again. In order to do this
effectively against most characters, you must grab, Throw Down or Forward, and
then rush in with a Dash Canceled Grab as they are attempting to stand up, or
in the air, against fast-fallers, you must force them to tech, and then get in
another grab afterwards(You can chain throw foward or up btw, foward on
anyone, Up really only works on fastfallers, and especially Fox =D), chain
throwing is extremely useful, since Marth's grab range is about an inch past
his Arm-length, and his grabs throws are all very easily turned into fearsome
juggles.
Following Techs: If the opponent tries to tech away from your chain throw, you
can dash after him and grab him after the tech.
Note: Against Fox, Marth can Chain throw up continuously, simply by up
throwing, then turning to face Fox's DI if he turns again... free grabs until
30% If Fox tries to Directional influence away after 30%, can Over A smash
him. If he Techs, follow him/dashing A.
Grabbing enemies after Aerial Attacks: After an Aerial Forward A (short
hopped, fast fall/L-Cancel), you will land directly in front of your opponent,
immediately capable of grabbing or using neutral A slashes. Grabbing is often
a good Idea, as you can begin a chain throw or juggle afterward. This works
with other Aerials too, and at higher %'s, you may need to use Dash Grabs
after the Aerial. It is possible to grab an enemy while they are falling, and
very useful as well, since they are usually defenseless against it (most
characters don't have as much Aerial range as Marth's Grab).
Dash-dance Grabs: While dash-dancing, it is possible to do a JC dash-grab
straight out of The dash, this often very effective, as dash-dancing is the
prinicple technique of mind-games in SSB:M. you can Dash-dance into a grab
(most people won't expect it, because you can do any attack of a dd, if you
alternate between this, fair, nair, foward b, and forward smash, it will
become difficult to predict your actions.
Using Grab's to set up for other Attacks: Marth's Grabs, in addition to having
great range, and being chainable themselves, can also be chained into Aerial
attacks.
Foward Throw: This throw can very Easily be chained to Marth's Foward tilt,
Aerial Forward, Smash forward (on floaty), or Aerial Neutral A attack. Since
Marth's grabs come out so fast, this is often a great way to start a deadly
fair-nair combination attack.
Up Throw: This grab chains to tilt up... and from their, the possilities are
endless, you can get in another tilt Up on fast-fallers, jump and do a
neutral/double fair, or a back-aerial afterwards, finish them with a forward
smash(They often fall too quickly to DI out of its range)
Down throw: This can be chained into foward tilt, or Foward smash, by turning
around after you do the throw(Foward smash only works on certain characters
however)
Back Throw: Chain to Aerial Back A, or Over A smash.
Marth's Grabbing Game:*****/*****: Again, probably the best in the game, Chain
throws, range, speed, and the same sort of combo options his Aerial game
grants.
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Marth's Tilts, and ways to use them
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Tilt Up A: With out a doubt, this is Marth's best tilt. This technique chains
with up throw (at low %'s), very well, and covers the entire arc above Marth's
head. It is useful for attacking enemies that camp on higher platforms than
you, and for hitting incoming Aerial attackers out of the sky. It can also be
used to hit an opponent after they have been bounced off a wall, and for
setting up Aerials. Since Tilt Up A only launches an enemy slightly off the
ground (at low %'s) it can be chained directly into sweet spot short hopped
double fair or nair, which can then be coupled with L-Cancel and fast fall,
and followed up with a Grab, or another short hopped Aerial/Smash Forward when
the enemy falls after it(mostly on Fastfallers). this move covers both in
front, and above Marth, and is rather quick, it is also an excellent defensive
tool.
Tilt Down A: This moves main purpose, is setting up for Aerial Attacks. A
quick Sweet spot poke from this move is great, because it leave your enemy
stunned, and often boost them a short distance into air. It can be followed up
with short hopped Aerial Forward, or Neutral A very effectively, which can
then be L-Canceled, and brought into other attacks.
By repeated D-Tilting, many times you can get you're opponent to roll or jump
over it... Jump and meet them with an Aerial
The move is also very useful for edge-guarding(stand at the edge, and poke
your opponent), and although it probably won't kill your enemy, it can be used
to put them in tipper range. It's great for playing keep-away as well, if you
wave-dash backwards while doing it, follow the wd with a tipper smash or dash
danced attack.
Tilt Forward A: this move chains with throws and aerials, and is actually
quite powerful for a tilt. A sweet spot Forward Tilt can kill quite easily.
Although it's a quick attack, strong for a tilt, it's main use is to hit roll
aholics. It's very easy to turn around and hit someone that over rolls with
this move(or Marth's forward Aerial), Tilt over also has the range to hit an
incoming opponent, overall, it's a pretty solid attack.
Overall Tilt Game:****/*****: Excellent, His tilts are fast, have
range/priority, and good combo potential, they aren't quiet as uber as his
Aerials or Grabs though.
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Marth's Over A Smash
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If your wondering why I'm not going to cover Marth's Up and Down Smashes, the
reason is because both suck. Marth's Up Smash is easily DI'd out of, and
Inferior to his tilt up A in every way, his down Smash is too slow, and laggy
to be off any use.
Dragon Slayer, Everyone's favorite move: This is Marth's over A smash, and as
anyone who's played the game knows, its insanely powerful. A tipper Smash can
kill at 40% on many stages, and its rather quick as well. It shouldn't be
spammed, because it's to easily avoided then, however, it is completely
awesome when chained from aerials, or combined with wave-dashing.
Wave Dashing with Dragon Slayer: Wave dashing, is the name given to dodging
along the ground while immediately after jumping, which will cause a character
to slide along the ground. What is special about wave dashing? Any attack can
be done during a wave dash. Wave dashing is an excellent way to set up for
tipper smashes. if an enemy uses an attack that is semi slow, has bad lag, or
a long duration say for instance, Sheik's Down Smash, you can usually wave
dash backwards, and hit
her with a tipper smash, while she's spinning, this works with just about any
attack that has moderate lag, but it requires a bit of anticipation.
Note: Stages Like battlefield Make Marth even deadlier, because its so Easy to
score Tipper Smashes by hitting an Enemy that is standing on top of one of
those slightly raised platforms.
I might add, it's better to use the C-stick for smashes, because C-Stick
smashes are quicker than using the joystick for a smash, and very rarely will
you ever need to charge a smash.
Marth's OVER A Smash Game:*****/*****: Easily the best smash attack in the
game, and with so many ways to set up for it, it's nothing short of
spectacular.
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Dashing A
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Marth's Dashing A is a nice quick slash that Newbs love to spam... it's really
quite useful though. Generally You should use it as a follow up, or after the
opponent techs. A tip hit from this bounces the opponent back behind you.
This is particularly useful against Fox and in chain throw combos, because the
move has enough range to punish pretty much any tech if you follow them
correctly.
Often times, the Dashing A will send the opponent backwards enough for you to
turn and grab them, or at higher %'s, for a tipper.
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Marth's B moves
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shield Breaker: this move sucks, the only thing it's good for is... Breaking
shields! ^_^. Two uncharged swipes from shield breaker, will break a shield,
leaving your enemy open to another attack, although I don't find this move to
useful.
Dancing Blade: This move is fairly useful when done out of a dash-dance, due
to the fact that if the first attack hits, the other four will as well.
Dolphin Slash: Only use this move to get back on the ring
Counter: Most of you will be surprised, but this move sucks and is to be used
very seldom in a serious battle. Only use it against very predictable
opponents, or to edge guard Fox, and others that have damaging Up B's(still so
inferior to Spiking though/Over A smash though. The problem with Counter, is
that every time you
miss it (often against a skilled player), you eat a smash attack.
Marth's B-Move Game:**/*****: Not very good... His Over B is decent though,
and his Up B is one of the best recovery Methods, because it's pretty safe.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
You should stick to the air, Marth is simply unrivald there, use your throws
and tilt up/down to set up for devasting fair chains; abuse chain grabs/the
double fair, set up for over A smash, punish w/ over smash, wd to align for a
tipper, and make the kill)
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Combination attacks
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
One thing is important to note about combos on SSB:M... rather than preset
button combinations, SSB:M actually has real combos, not just moves that look
like them; and they change with percentage. seeing as how, due to the games
unbroken fighting system, any combo can be broken out of by directional
influence, hitting the enemy first, or blocking a part of it; I won't cover
specific guaranteed combos; because unlike most fighters, theres no 214b QCB-
RC 2b that is completely unstoppable.
Marth however, by the nature of his moves, is one of the best jugglers in the
game... all his moves have great priority and range, so he can chain his
attacks(especially up tilt, and his aerials) with relative ease. It's best to
use either a foward aerial or grab to start marth's combos, but from there,
your really free. What attack you should use, will need to become instictive;
due to the fact that you can't memorize a button combination on this game.
That being said, I'd recommend following up marth's fair with a delayed aerial
up A or tilt up A, and going from there. if you use his delayed up air, I'd
suggest you follow that up with a tilt up or two, and then possibly continue
with a couple of foward Aerials, L-Canceled into forward smash. Fair into up
tilt, can usually be followed by another double fair or aerial back, possible
an aerial neutral as well.
Use Chain throws(I personally am fond of up throw>>>up tilt, very quick and
safe), Aerials to carry on combos, and you should generally try to end them
with forward smash if you think you can score a tipper (Most of the time, you
can score a tipper on an airborne enemy... if they do air-dodge, be ready to
grab them when they hit the ground.
You should use walls to your advantage; by bouncing your enemies of them, you
can create far more devestating combinations than you could on standing ground.
basically, you need to use Marth's grabs or foward aerial to start combos,
linke them into other Aerials, and then finish with foward smash. Don't get to
methodical about it though... if your enemy breaks out, you need to stop
immediately, to avoid getting shield grabbed.
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The wonderful World of Wave-dashing... In mind-games!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wave-dashing is a very useful tool... Marth's wave-dash is quite long, and is
one of the best methods he possesses for setting up tipper smashes (Often you
need to wd backward quickly and deliver a wavesmash to score a tipper at the
end of a combo, rather than just cancel>>>smash.)
However, Wavedashing can be used in other way as well... due to how
effectively you can control movement with it(fast dash in-outs, quick atack
lingks, fake-outs), I recommend using it over Rolling... and even over
dashing.
It's very easy to use WD in fake-outs... simply jump in or dash CC or wd in as
if you were going to attack, and then quickly wave-dash backwards. The point
is to cause you're enemy to whiff an attack, and then punish them with you're
own(depending on the lag after the attack they whiff, you could get in a
forward smash this way)
Wave-dancing(Wave-dashing back and fourth over and over again) works like dash-
dancing, because you can do any attack out of it; any tip i've given for
dd>>>x attack during this guide will also work with wave-dancing.
Wave-dashing to edge-hog: When you're enemy has used their up B, and they are
barely going to make it back by grabbing the edge... what could you do? Easy,
grab the edge so they can't, causing them to die. What if you don't have time
to jump back and grab the edge? WD to the rescue! Wave-dashing backwards of
the stage will very quickly cause Marth to slide off the stage, and grab the
edge; effectively killing an opponent who is in this position.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Home Run Contest Strategies
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpt from Sskeeto's FAQ on Gamefaqs.com. If you need any strategies
concerning HRC, That FAQ is your best bet.
~~~~~~~~
x. Marth
~~~~~~~~
~~ Bat Drop Up+A ~~
Stand right next to the Sandbag. Jump, a half-second after the peak of your
jump, drop the bat, then immediately press up+A. The single jump combo will do
27% max.
~~ Bat Drop Down+A ~~
Stand right next to the Sandbag. Jump, at the peak of your jump, drop the bat.
Wait a quarter-second and right before your toes touch the top of the Sandbag
to press down+A. The single jump combo does 29% damage max.
Beginner
1. Jump to the right, aerial down+A(land on the Sandbag's left)
2. Face the Sandbag, 4 small jump up+As(hit the Sandbag on the way up)
3. Fully-charged B toward the left wall
4. Grab the bat, dash to the right, no-ping hit
Bull's-eye: 1300+ feet (400+ m.)
Easy
(Strategy created by nismojoe)
1. Grab the bat, dash toward the Sandbag
2. 1 single jump bat drop up+A with l-cancel
3. 1 single jump bat drop down+A with l-cancel
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 twice
5. Forward+B
6. Tipper
Bull's-eye: 2000+ feet (600+ m.)
Medium
1. Grab the bat
2. Up+A(2 hits)
3. 5 single jump bat drop down+A combos with L-cancels and air catches
4. Tipper(154%)
Bull's-eye: 2250+ feet (680+ m.)
Advanced
1. Grab the bat
2. Neutral+A (7%)
3. Two single jump bat drop up+As with air catches, fast falls, and L-cancels
4. Four single jump bat drop down+As with air catches and L-cancels
5. Grab the bat, tipper
Bull's-eye: 2600+ feet (800+ m.)
Hard
(Strategy submitted by Thomeyis)
1. Grab bat, run to bag, double jump bat drop up+A
2. Another double jump bat drop up+A
3. Single jump bat drop down+A
4. Single jump bat drop neutral+A
5. Single jump bat drop down+A
6. Single jump bat drop neutral+A
7. Single jump bat drop down+A
8. Walk forward a bit, catch, tipper
Bull's-eye: 2800+ feet (860+ m.)
Intense
(Strategy submitted by Thomeyis)
1. Grab bat, run to the bag, double jump bat drop up+A
2. Single jump bat drop down+A
3. Single jump bat drop neutral+A
4. Single jump bat drop down+A
5. 3 Single jump bat drop neutral+A
6. Single jump Bat drop down+A
7. Catch the bat, tipper
Bull's-eye: 3000+ feet (920+ m.)
Expert
(Strategy created by kero)
1. Grab the bat and dash to the bag, double jump and do a bat drop up+A. (29%)
2. Do the following BD's ~ down+A, neutral+A, down+A, neutral+A, down+A ~ all
the neutral A BD's move the bag left while the down A BD's move the bag right.
3. Jump to grab the bag and move right gently to the bag, when you get over
the bag, do a neutral A BD, moving the bag left. (177%)
4. Catch the bat and jump left over the bag, doing a bat drop down+A to move
the bag right. (204%)
5. Walk right to the bat, pick it up, and swing for a tipper.
Bull's-eye: 3150+ feet (960+ m.)
Expert
(Strategy created by Sakura)
1. Grab the bat
2. Aerial forward+A
3. 1 bat drop up+A without rejumping
4. 7 bat drop down+As
5. Forward+B (224%)
6. Grab the bat, tipper
Bull's-eye: 3650+ feet (1160+ m.)
Claps for Sskeetos FAQ. Great job ^_^
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Character Specific Strategies
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Dr. Mario: This isn't really all that hard, the most frusterating part about
this match up, pills... but other than that, it's pretty easy. Dr. Mario
doesn't have anywhere near Marth's range or priority, so if you can cover
yourself well enough, it'll be pretty hard for him to get in a decent hit. His
aerial foward A is pretty powerful, and has surprising range, but it's amoung
his slower moves, so it's not that difficult to shield grab. Since marth
doesn't have a projectile, if he goes pill happy, you need to try to cancel
out his pills with your attacks, and close the distance as soon as possible.
Doc is pretty floaty, making him REALLY easy to chain throw foward, but pretty
difficult to combo upwards(it can be done, but not past a few hits.) Dr. mario
has laughable recovery, so if you can edge-guard him remotely well, and edge-
hog, he's as good as dead.
Mario: He's faster than Doc, and not quite as floaty(still plenty floaty
enough foward chain throw forward however ^_^), and just like every other
character in the game, he's outclassed in the range/priority department by
marth, Follow the tips given against the doc for the most part, but you don't
have to worry about his fireballs that much; they are nothing comparet to
Doc's pills. He's also much easier to combo vertically than Doc is, so be sure
to use that to your advantage.
Luigi: This is like the god of float&slide... mostly due to his wave-dash,
that will cover the entire length of Final Destination; but He's not to
different from the other mario brothers in many respects. He's still easily
chain thrown foward, and at low percents, he's pretty easy to combo vertically
or horizontally; not a difficult match up at all, same tactics that worked
with the doc/Mario work here too, it's just a bit more difficult to keep up
with him because if his god-wave-dash.
Note about the brothers: you'll want to kill them pretty quickly... because
they become very difficult to combo at percents around 100 or so.
Bowser: This pathetically easy... he's a HUGE target, and just screams *juggle
me!* He's too slow to stop you, if you whiff an attack, you can still get in
another one before he manages to move. He's easy to edge-guard, and is chain
throw up or foward, he's easy to juggle... he just gets destroyed by Marth.
Peach: She's too light and floaty for her own good... Fair spam and chain
throw her forward for the most part, and then kill her by using your throw
forward forward smash combo... This can be a tough match up because it's
fairly hard to combo with turnips flying everywhere, and Float Cancels aerials
are Evil... EVIL! She's out ranged, but only slightly out prioritized.
However... she's very easy to kill. and chain throw(I mean, how much easier
than chain throw forward-forward smash can you get?) Definately one of Marth's
more favored match-ups. Her turnips can be pretty annoying, but you can catch
them and throw them back at her pretty easily; and her down smash/forward
throw are powerful as well; but aren't going to help her that much; and
although her recovery is great... it's to easy to edge-guard.
Yoshi: I'm really not sure on this one... I've never seen a good yoshi (not
saying they don't exist), but for the most part, you'll be fine following
Standard Marth tactics(Foward Aerial; juggles, kill with smashes, chain throw)
Donkey Kong: He's really to slow to keep up with you... watch out for his
Aerial Back A though; and you really don't need to chain throw that much
against him either, Stick to the Air... and edge-guard him(he was one of the
worst recovery's, so it shouldn't be that difficult.
Captain Falcon: This one's a good one... He might not have your range... but
he's FAST, meaning he can close the distance between you and him in no time...
He has a deadly Aerial game(The knee, and marth is the perfect weight for his
throw down chain throw, and aerial neutral A combos) This one could be pretty
tough; If falcon tries to chain throw you, I suggest you try to hit him with
fair before he gets to you... and even though he's dangerous in the air, you
need to try and use your range to get off safe hit s against him. His recovery
isn't bad, but he's still pretty easily edge-guarded by Marth; and due to his
fast falling speed, he isn't that difficult to combo... this is a pretty even
match however, it's really going to come down to who's the better player.
Ganondorf: Same as captain falcon, he has chain throws, good Aerials(Way to
strong... his Aerial over/Back A's can kill you like smash attacks), and
except for running, he isn't that slow either. This is a pretty even match
too, Ganondorf is very powerful, and he has range/priority too. He's
surprising hard to kill(He survive's very strong attacks at high percentages),
and since Marth isn't a heavy weight, Ganondorf can kill Marth pretty easily.
Thankfully, ganondorf can be chain thrown easily, and combo'd relatively
simply. This is one of Marth's harder matches, but standard tactics work here
(Chain throw him, and abuse forward air, edge-guard his poor recovery with
tipper smashes(set up for this with down tilt... it's fairly important to hit
tipper against him, because it's your only chance of killing him quickly)
Falco:He falls fast, and he's fairly easy to combo... his recovery SUCKS as
well, so I'm not going to cover how to combat him, because due to his falling
speed, 90% of the stuff in the Fox section works here too, but you do need to
be aware of ths short hopped lasers... they will stun you, and lock you down
pretty badly if you try to block them; meaning you need to jump over them, and
try to close the distance between you and falco quickly. This is a pretty
difficult bttle if your playing a good falco... SHL's can be extremely
frusterating, and make this battle far more difficult than the one against
Fox.
Fox: Ok... Marth owns Fox, completely, and totally. literally, you can chain
throw up forever against this guy, if he tries to DI, you can easily just do a
JC dash-grab towards him, and grab him/ throw up up again... he's rediculously
easy to combo with up tilt, as he'll just fall right back into it, and after
up tilt/throw, no matter what he tries to do, he's going to fall within range
of Marth's sword...(foward Air, forward smash, ect) You have Aerial priority
over him as well, so it's going to be difficult for him to stop your attacks
with his own. He does however, have a speed advantage, and he can use his
shines to push you back, or his laser to try and make you come to him...(If
that happens, just run up and grab him/ or hit him with an aerial, and proceed
to combo the hell out of him.) his recovery is fairly easy to edge-guard a
well. If he uses over B, can hit him with aerial back A if he's at a high
enough angle; or if he's closer to your own, block his attack, and foward
smash him while he's lagging his foward B. If he uses up B, you should be able
to spike him without to much trouble(or smash him out of it)
Ness: Simple, standard Marth tactics. He hasn't the range, power, or speed to
keep up with you.
Ice Climbers: Although you're fighting two people, this still isn't the most
difficult of fights, you out prioritize both of them; just like every other
character, double fair/uair-tilts are great for seperating the two, you can
then kill Nana in a matter of seconds. best to keep them split up, hold one
off with b-air while combating the other with the standard Marth tactics.
Kirby: agian, standard Marth tactics work well, he's floaty, so be sure to
abuse chain throws and throw/aerial combos.
Samus: This one can be tricky if you're playing a good samus.. this girl's got
more tricks than any other character... between bomb-jumps, missle cancels, it
can be difficult to see exactly wtf you're doing, making her extremely
dangerous... Assuming the player is good with her, and at mindgames. Still
combating her is just like any other character, though be prepared to cancel
out Missles with AFA very often, and try to stay as close to her as possible.
Zelda: Just like Peach, this ones easy. Too floaty/light, owned by juggles and
chain throws/smash combos.
Sheik: Ugh... This is a pain in the ***... Sheik is FAST; infact she's the
only character that Marth will have difficulty hanging with if he sticks to
her... she will use needles to bait you into attacking her, which can be a
mistake. Her down throw is evil, and every move she has leads into AFA, her
best killing move. Her down smash is very quick, and can be quite annoying if
your facing a CC *****; never the less, Sheik doesn't have your range, you're
power, or your priority. Her grabs kickass, but yours are better, and she's
not difficult to combo in the slightest. This match will come down to who can
play mind-games the best, and who's the better player overall, both characters
are capable of decimating the other at alarming rates; good luck.
Link&Young Link: Both of these characters are swordsmen, but they lack a good
enough air game, and have horrible grabs... making them pretty easy pickings.
They have projectiles, but they are slow, and easy to defend against; Link
trying to fight Marth in the air is pointless, you'll **** him.
Pika&Pikachu: Standard tactics; both are easy to own with standard Marth
tactics, although a bit short... This shouldn't be a real problem, they are so
light they die from a tipper at 40% on any stage, and lack any real options
against you.
Jiggs: This ones pretty tough, I reccommend you stick close to her, and watch
out for WOP... (repeated aerial backs) this is a pain in the ***. She can
attack very rapidly, and lock you down in no time, thankfully, you should be
able to kill her quickly with Aerials/Smash combos, and your throws still
viable, but I don't like risking getting anywhere near a Jiggly in uber WoP
mode...
Mewtwo: Exact same thing as Zelda and Peach, but he has stronger grabs, which
means... nothing.
G&W: Same as mewtwo, quite an annoying down tilt though, be sure you try to
keep him away as much as possible, so he doesn't get a chance to use it.
Marth: You own yourself... except that he can own you back. Chain throws rock
in MvM match ups, but the winner is going to be the person who's capable of
getting off the most tipper aerials with the highest success rate.
Roy: Roy is a slower version of yourself, but plays completely differently.
You **** him in teh air, but he's quite powerful none the less. Be cautious,
try not to fall for the w-d back smash trap, and follow standard Marth
tactics... this actually a pretty difficult match for Marth, because his down
tilt sets up for many of his best options against you quite easily; and his
Over B is superior to yours... used wisely it can be quite frusterating.
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A General Word of Caution about Killing with Marth
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Do it Early... it's very difficult at high %'s because most of your options
that combo well into forward smash no longer work. If you end up facing an
enemy at very high %'s, your're best bet is to use N-Air to get him of the
edge, and then bair to kill him, edge hog if needed, or start using F-tilt.
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Thank you; Enjoy the guide
