I found a new move with Diddy and just so you know, I'm going to deny myself the pleasure of naming it after myself. Just kidding 
Anyway, let me start with a short statement about spikes to clarify the usefulness of this move. Most of you know there are two types of spikes. The first is the kind where the character pulls back briefly before attacking with a very strong downward spike (think of a Dair from Falcon, Ganon, or Donkey). This type is functional but the pull-back before the move is a big red warning sign that it's coming. The second is a much more vicious form of spike that comes out instantly and can usually send even a low-percentage opponent to their doom with very little forewarning. Falco's Dair in melee is a perfect example of this (although in brawl it only functions as a spike at the very beginning of the move, it's still pretty mean). I say all this just to clarify that although Diddy already has a functional spike in his Dair, an instant spike would be a welcome addition to his repertoire, especially with the no-risk air-dodging negating many aerial moves that have pull-back before the attack. Alrighty, now I'll get to the point. If you can position yourself over your opponent while they're trying to recover, the exhaust from the initial explosion of Diddy's Rocketbarrell will act as an instant spike. It has no forewarning, and it's strong enough to push relatively low-percentage opponents to an early demise at the bottom of the screen. You may have to try it a few times since the hit-box for the spike function is a bit picky, but eventually it'll become very natural, and it adds a great new aspect of Diddy strategy to the map. The only downside (and it really goes without saying) is that if you miss, it's Diddy's third jump so you need to make sure that you make it back to the stage. Of course, if you do miss the spike, chances are good that you were close enough to at least hit your opponent with the other non-spiking part of the explosion, giving you a little bit more time to focus on recovering safely from your third-jump helpless frames.
Later!
Anyway, let me start with a short statement about spikes to clarify the usefulness of this move. Most of you know there are two types of spikes. The first is the kind where the character pulls back briefly before attacking with a very strong downward spike (think of a Dair from Falcon, Ganon, or Donkey). This type is functional but the pull-back before the move is a big red warning sign that it's coming. The second is a much more vicious form of spike that comes out instantly and can usually send even a low-percentage opponent to their doom with very little forewarning. Falco's Dair in melee is a perfect example of this (although in brawl it only functions as a spike at the very beginning of the move, it's still pretty mean). I say all this just to clarify that although Diddy already has a functional spike in his Dair, an instant spike would be a welcome addition to his repertoire, especially with the no-risk air-dodging negating many aerial moves that have pull-back before the attack. Alrighty, now I'll get to the point. If you can position yourself over your opponent while they're trying to recover, the exhaust from the initial explosion of Diddy's Rocketbarrell will act as an instant spike. It has no forewarning, and it's strong enough to push relatively low-percentage opponents to an early demise at the bottom of the screen. You may have to try it a few times since the hit-box for the spike function is a bit picky, but eventually it'll become very natural, and it adds a great new aspect of Diddy strategy to the map. The only downside (and it really goes without saying) is that if you miss, it's Diddy's third jump so you need to make sure that you make it back to the stage. Of course, if you do miss the spike, chances are good that you were close enough to at least hit your opponent with the other non-spiking part of the explosion, giving you a little bit more time to focus on recovering safely from your third-jump helpless frames. Later!
