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My Falco experience

Arlong316

Smash Rookie
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
3
Location
Spain
NNID
Arlong316
3DS FC
0147-0789-1872
So I have played a lot of Falco for 2 years but I don't see any kind of improve in my gameplay since the first Day.
I have been asking people about how I should play the character, some of them tells me to play campy but after the second laser I see my self between the edge and a ZSS nair, or when Im on the neutral my normal options are throwing nairs and down tilts and pray for my oponent to randomly fall on those attacks.
Also I have learned how to dair cancel on the lab, but man it is really hard to pull one off on a match, I just dont see the moment to get in, is there any moment when I can land it on a match?
Im pretty sure that this is all my problems and not about the character, I just need to get good, but right now is really a pain to get to that point.
Any opinions and típs are greatly wellcomed.
 

CanisInfernus

Smash Rookie
Joined
Aug 29, 2016
Messages
6
Falco's laser is a great tool against very slow characters, but it falls flat outside that situation. It's too slow and punishable for general use, especially against characters who have good mobility in the air.

Falco's best strength, IMO, is that his aerial moves (except dair) come out fairly fast and have deceptive range. Fair in particular can carry people across a stage pretty effectively if you use its landing hitbox for combos.

For the most part you want to play Falco defensively, but not necessarily "campy" in terms of "run away and shoot lasers at things." It's more like you want to force people to fight you in the air, then punish them there.
 

Ralugi

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
159
NNID
Uranium238
It sounds like you need help with his neutral. Utilize his tilts a bit more, they can catch people and set up for frame traps. Don’t neglect to use dash attacks and Ftilts. Bair is your best friend.

Down b is much faster than lasers, and covers good distance. Fast characters want to go straight in and deal damage. Use shorthops and tomohawks to aggravate them. They'll eventually make a mistake.

As for the AC Dair, I find it's a mix up for normal Dair. Dair is best used when chasing a tech.

ZSS is tough, since she's designed to break down defensive characters.

Also, how do you practice? If you're using FG, please stop. It's a terrible place to get good. I suggest going to Anther's Ladder or Smash Amino. You'll find people around your skill level and be able to learn.

Overall, I think you might be autopiloting; you're just throwing out attacks just to do it, instead of outplaying your opponent.
This all might sound redundant, but sometimes we have to be reminded of how to play our characters.
 
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Arlong316

Smash Rookie
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
3
Location
Spain
NNID
Arlong316
3DS FC
0147-0789-1872
It sounds like you need help with his neutral. Utilize his tilts a bit more, they can catch people and set up for frame traps. Don’t neglect to use dash attacks and Ftilts. Bair is your best friend.

Down b is much faster than lasers, and covers good distance. Fast characters want to go straight in and deal damage. Use shorthops and tomohawks to aggravate them. They'll eventually make a mistake.

As for the AC Dair, I find it's a mix up for normal Dair. Dair is best used when chasing a tech.

ZSS is tough, since she's designed to break down defensive characters.

Also, how do you practice? If you're using FG, please stop. It's a terrible place to get good. I suggest going to Anther's Ladder or Smash Amino. You'll find people around your skill level and be able to learn.

Overall, I think you might be autopiloting; you're just throwing out attacks just to do it, instead of outplaying your opponent.
This all might sound redundant, but sometimes we have to be reminded of how to play our characters.
Thanks for taking your time for repliyng me, I´ll try Anthers Ladder later.

Falco's laser is a great tool against very slow characters, but it falls flat outside that situation. It's too slow and punishable for general use, especially against characters who have good mobility in the air.

Falco's best strength, IMO, is that his aerial moves (except dair) come out fairly fast and have deceptive range. Fair in particular can carry people across a stage pretty effectively if you use its landing hitbox for combos.

For the most part you want to play Falco defensively, but not necessarily "campy" in terms of "run away and shoot lasers at things." It's more like you want to force people to fight you in the air, then punish them there.
Never thought about using lasers that way, thanks for taking your time to reply.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Pink'd

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 7, 2015
Messages
78
Location
Shin!
3DS FC
5112-3624-7812
Brief guide!

Quick tip--try your best to fish for grabs. If you can get a down throw on the opponent at low percents, you can either (depending upon fall speed): run forward dash attack, run forward short hop nair, run forward short hop fair, or run forward RAR bair, though the timing is quick on the last one. (Sometimes perfect pivot reverse uptilt works as well, but not always.) All but bair (and pp uptilt) combo into another move if you're quick enough, which can be used to chain nairs or fairs all the way across the stage. If you're at higher percents near the ledge, and you expect your opponent to airdodge, you can do a delayed run forward RAR bair as a read that will likely net you the kill if done correctly. Also from downthrow, you can go for a considerable amount of mix ups, such as "down throw, run forward, bait out airdodge, jab, down throw, etc.," "down throw to short hop laser" to gimp jumps, which can lead to a dair kill at the edge, "down throw, run forward, bait out airdodge, jab, up Smash" which works as a fantastic kill option if the opponent is at high percents and is attempting to do anything other than shield after the jab. Basically, down throw is your friend.

Do not approach with nair, it will get shield grabbed. Down tilt is safer, but don't be predictable. Most people don't respond correctly to Falco's lasers, and if you have conditioned them to shield, free dash grab for you. However, spacing out and fading back and forth is Falco's primary means of approach. (To be specific, Falco likes to do tons of empty hops and tomahawks. If someone jumps at you and you are already in the air, if they haven't begun an attack, challenge them with fair or nair, which will also beat out airdodges. If you're on the ground, and they're directly above you and closing in, up tilt is a good multi hit move to use. Only use upsmadh if they're at high percents and you think you can net the kill.)

LAZY EDIT: you can space bair on shields, without fear of getting grabbed by anyone without a tether grab (or DK), if you do a rising full hop bair. For characters with bad grabs, and for people who don't shield grab literally everything you do, a short hop bair and a full hop bair can be interchangeable.

Use upair. I cannot stress this enough. Too many Falcos neglect this move. However, again, don't get predictable.

In the same vein, use reflector. Not only does it reflect projectiles ("WOW OMG SO SHOCKING!"), it's a decent semi-long-range spacing tool that can catch approaching opponents off guard. (You can also down throw to reflector, and you can also jab lock with reflector, but the lock isn't as guaranteed as a laser, and locks randomly, as opposed to every single time.)

F-smash is a pretty good killing move. Bait airdodge into the ground and net the kill.

Wall jump. Wall jump wall jump wall jump. Wall jump like there's no tommorow, even on a stage without walls, because your wall jump is your best friend, right behind nair. A good way to mix up your recovery is to not sweet spot the ledge with side b but instead go slightly lower and double jump towards the stage, then wall jump onto the stage. Or, once you've grabbed the ledge, drop down, double jump then wall jump and cancel into a side b, which can be used as a mixup to come back on stage or sweetspot the ledge again. Or, for a generally superior mixup for when your opponent expects you to side B, if you have your jump, fake that you're going to go for a side b, then drop down and up b. (^ Opinions. Recover however you like, as long as it's safe.) (Also, if your stage has walls, and the opponent doesn't have a jump, some fun disrespect is to drop beneath them after they use their up b [as long as they don't have good recovery like the Pits, or a teleport], then wall jump [also jump if needed] and dair them. Looks cool, unless you screw it up.)

Perfect pivot laser can stop some opponent's approaches, though usually only once.

Jab and fair can sometimes break out of combos.

In general, try to find a good balance between being defensive and extremely offensive--while being offensive is risky, most non-defensive players are disrupted by your offensiveness. Try to gently and stealthily camp with lasers if the opponent is approaching you (and also shoot them when the opponent recovers high in an attempt to make them airdodge to avoid your shots and force them to dip below the ledge/gimp their jump), grab and dash grab into follow-ups, don't be afraid to jump away out of a combo with your big jumps, use reflector to space, RAR back air, stick to the air keep your opponent's in the air.

ANOTHER LAZY EDIT: Fair has a frame 1 hitbox when you land during the move, which can surprise some people who let go of shield when they're shielding against your fair. You can also drag people down with your fair like Fox does with his fair, but you'll only get a follow-up if the opponent doesn't react fast enough. Speaking of follow-ups, jab into up Smash is a good follow up at kill percent if they don't roll away. If they roll away, punish accordingly. If they don't roll, go ham.)

ACTUAL EDIT: Also make sure to challenge people in the air with your bair, which is the safest choice in any given situation. Fair and nair can be beat out by some moves, such as Pikachu's fair or dair. Bair beats almost everything, is super fast, and can kill at high percents.
 
Last edited:

Arlong316

Smash Rookie
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
3
Location
Spain
NNID
Arlong316
3DS FC
0147-0789-1872
Brief guide!

Quick tip--try your best to fish for grabs. If you can get a down throw on the opponent at low percents, you can either (depending upon fall speed): run forward dash attack, run forward short hop nair, run forward short hop fair, or run forward RAR bair, though the timing is quick on the last one. (Sometimes perfect pivot reverse uptilt works as well, but not always.) All but bair (and pp uptilt) combo into another move if you're quick enough, which can be used to chain nairs or fairs all the way across the stage. If you're at higher percents near the ledge, and you expect your opponent to airdodge, you can do a delayed run forward RAR bair as a read that will likely net you the kill if done correctly. Also from downthrow, you can go for a considerable amount of mix ups, such as "down throw, run forward, bait out airdodge, jab, down throw, etc.," "down throw to short hop laser" to gimp jumps, which can lead to a dair kill at the edge, "down throw, run forward, bait out airdodge, jab, up Smash" which works as a fantastic kill option if the opponent is at high percents and is attempting to do anything other than shield after the jab. Basically, down throw is your friend.

Do not approach with nair, it will get shield grabbed. Down tilt is safer, but don't be predictable. Most people don't respond correctly to Falco's lasers, and if you have conditioned them to shield, free dash grab for you. However, spacing out and fading back and forth is Falco's primary means of approach. (To be specific, Falco likes to do tons of empty hops and tomahawks. If someone jumps at you and you are already in the air, if they haven't begun an attack, challenge them with fair or nair, which will also beat out airdodges. If you're on the ground, and they're directly above you and closing in, up tilt is a good multi hit move to use. Only use upsmadh if they're at high percents and you think you can net the kill.)

LAZY EDIT: you can space bair on shields, without fear of getting grabbed by anyone without a tether grab (or DK), if you do a rising full hop bair. For characters with bad grabs, and for people who don't shield grab literally everything you do, a short hop bair and a full hop bair can be interchangeable.

Use upair. I cannot stress this enough. Too many Falcos neglect this move. However, again, don't get predictable.

In the same vein, use reflector. Not only does it reflect projectiles ("WOW OMG SO SHOCKING!"), it's a decent semi-long-range spacing tool that can catch approaching opponents off guard. (You can also down throw to reflector, and you can also jab lock with reflector, but the lock isn't as guaranteed as a laser, and locks randomly, as opposed to every single time.)

F-smash is a pretty good killing move. Bait airdodge into the ground and net the kill.

Wall jump. Wall jump wall jump wall jump. Wall jump like there's no tommorow, even on a stage without walls, because your wall jump is your best friend, right behind nair. A good way to mix up your recovery is to not sweet spot the ledge with side b but instead go slightly lower and double jump towards the stage, then wall jump onto the stage. Or, once you've grabbed the ledge, drop down, double jump then wall jump and cancel into a side b, which can be used as a mixup to come back on stage or sweetspot the ledge again. Or, for a generally superior mixup for when your opponent expects you to side B, if you have your jump, fake that you're going to go for a side b, then drop down and up b. (^ Opinions. Recover however you like, as long as it's safe.) (Also, if your stage has walls, and the opponent doesn't have a jump, some fun disrespect is to drop beneath them after they use their up b [as long as they don't have good recovery like the Pits, or a teleport], then wall jump [also jump if needed] and dair them. Looks cool, unless you screw it up.)

Perfect pivot laser can stop some opponent's approaches, though usually only once.

Jab and fair can sometimes break out of combos.

In general, try to find a good balance between being defensive and extremely offensive--while being offensive is risky, most non-defensive players are disrupted by your offensiveness. Try to gently and stealthily camp with lasers if the opponent is approaching you (and also shoot them when the opponent recovers high in an attempt to make them airdodge to avoid your shots and force them to dip below the ledge/gimp their jump), grab and dash grab into follow-ups, don't be afraid to jump away out of a combo with your big jumps, use reflector to space, RAR back air, stick to the air keep your opponent's in the air.

ANOTHER LAZY EDIT: Fair has a frame 1 hitbox when you land during the move, which can surprise some people who let go of shield when they're shielding against your fair. You can also drag people down with your fair like Fox does with his fair, but you'll only get a follow-up if the opponent doesn't react fast enough. Speaking of follow-ups, jab into up Smash is a good follow up at kill percent if they don't roll away. If they roll away, punish accordingly. If they don't roll, go ham.)

ACTUAL EDIT: Also make sure to challenge people in the air with your bair, which is the safest choice in any given situation. Fair and nair can be beat out by some moves, such as Pikachu's fair or dair. Bair beats almost everything, is super fast, and can kill at high percents.
I always miss the Jab>Up smash, is it Jab 1>Up smash or Jab1>Jab2>Up smash? People normally jump after the second jab so I think I'm not been fast enough.
About the falling fair like Fox, due to his end lag I allways get footstoled my self Instead of me footstooling them.
I also find difficult to space with bairs, I always end up been shield grabbed.
Btw great guide.
 

Pink'd

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 7, 2015
Messages
78
Location
Shin!
3DS FC
5112-3624-7812
I always miss the Jab>Up smash, is it Jab 1>Up smash or Jab1>Jab2>Up smash? People normally jump after the second jab so I think I'm not been fast enough.
About the falling fair like Fox, due to his end lag I allways get footstoled my self Instead of me footstooling them.
I also find difficult to space with bairs, I always end up been shield grabbed.
Btw great guide.
Thanks man. In my personal experience, if the opponent knows to jump away from Jab 1 before the up smash connects, they'll probably get away. Jab 1>Jab 2>Up smash is something I haven't tested fully, but I believe the waiting time between Jab 2 and up smash would be easy to shield against, because the waiting time required so as not to get Jab2>Jab3 is fairly long. However, it may alternately be a better mixup than Jab1>Up smash because it better drags the opponent down. (Conversely, they'll be expecting a jab 3, so if they're on the ground, they'll hold shield. Only conditioning can really guarantee the mixup.)

As for the falling fair, I meant on stage. Say you down throw ZSS and get a fair on her. Fast fall as soon as you get the fair, and if you're close enough to he ground when you start the fair, you'll land on the ground mid-fair, and the opponent will not be launched away by the last hitbox. In this instance, the opponent is usually not expecting this, but they still might shield, so the next best move is usually to go for another grab. If you can predict that they'll do something other than shield, punish that correctly instead.

As for getting shield grabbed with bair, people fear the bair, so perhaps a tomahawk would work better, so the opponent doesn't know whether to shield or do dodge when you approach them.
 
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JayE

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Sep 12, 2016
Messages
374
Location
Hyrule and Altea, the universes of Zelda and FE
NNID
PinoyPlayerJ
3DS FC
2982-0290-3968
Falco's combo game is really good. He possesses all the moves to edgeguard where your opponent might be recovering from.
F tilt is one of his more underrated and underused moves. It can be a good move to throw out, as most people don't really expect it and it can jab lock.
Falco's jab also has a weird quirk where he can fall off the stage while doing it near and edge which can lead to early gimps.
 
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