Nikita discussion

[Hax]

hey, i'm playing snake in brawl cuz he is amazing but i don't get what the deal with the nikita is. i haven't really found a good use for it, people say it's good for edgeguarding.. i guess it's alright. this thread is meant for people to discuss uses for the Nikita (side-b)

1 use i've found is to explode it on the floor next to the opponent, as it creates a bigger explosion and catches people offguard

 

[abit_rusty]

It just takes getting the hang of predicting your opponents (sometimes a bit of luck too). You can fly it in a somewhat straight pattern if you think your opponent is going to try to recover horizontally. Angle it if you notice they're coming in from above.

What I usually do to edgeguard is fire it off at an angle depending on how steep they fly offstage, and if they come diagonally in the air well they get a face full of missile. If they go lower then I just cancel the missile and there's a chance the dropped missile can nail them too. Of course it's not foolproof, hence the luck element.

Also, a neat trick is flying/dropping the missile between your opponent and the ledge if he's attempting to recover from below. This has a chance of hitting them and possibly stage spiking (which I've done two or three times).

Nikitas are also pretty resilient, bypassing most opposing projectiles. Some projectiles change the missile's trajectory though. One more kinda cheap tactic is for Ikes who use side-b often to recover. This totally nullifies that. If you fly a missile in the path of Ike's side b, it ends it and he falls to his doom.

 

[kevc]

i use it when its a 4 people all out brawl lol, usually run off to the side plant my dsmash then C4 then get behind those n start shooting nikita, yea my friends get annoyed but hey it works

 

[Jeff Highwind]

I'm such a rocket *****. XD

I primarily use it just as a KO move though, I'll connect with a Ftilt then use a rocket to follow up both as pressure and as a method to kill. If I miss, I just cancel and roll into a safe place. I'm way too predictable to use it anywhere else, as my friends have blatantly told me.

 

[bman in 2288]

With wavebouncing, it's good for some mindgames, mixes up your approach a little bit. Kinda like Link's arrows from Melee, only they're useful this time around. Also, if someone is totally reliant on tethers, put this in between them and the ledge. Insta-kill, unless Olimar throws Pikmin at the Nikita. As a result, his recovery suffers due to one less Pikmin, so do it anyways.

 

[Fafnir]

It's probably my most used move of Snake's... That thing has so many uses. It's an incredibly effective, safe edgeguard(for obvious reasons) , a great mobile shield(stops other projectiles in their tracks), a great mindgame tool(dropping the missiles mid flight can mix people up who are trying to avoid one), a good damage tool, and a good melee deterrant. There are so many uses for the move that I'd imagine that someone could wright an entire guide on the things.

 

[JesiahTEG]

Actually, exploding it on the floor next to them causes less damage. I think it only does 7 damage, whereas if you directly hit your opponent, it does 14 damage.

 

[Jeff Highwind]

Actually, exploding it on the floor next to them causes less damage. I think it only does 7 damage, whereas if you directly hit your opponent, it does 14 damage.

Yea it's 7 damage. Also the knockback is significantly less than a direct hit.

 

[Crushed]

One awesome Nikita moment from playing as Snake online: I was stuck on Temple with someone as Metaknight, who was trying to keep distance from me.

Let me tell you, weaving a Nikita around Temple's passages to chase a fleeing Metaknight into coming to you is an incredibly satisfying experience.


Him: "Heh, you fired it down the hole instead of above the ledge! Hahahaha- wait, where's it going?"
Me: "look down lol"

 

[Snaaaake!]

I'm a total jerk with the Nikita. I fought a friend of mine online (we were boke Snake) and we had some awesome nikita-duels. And, yeah, It does less damage if it's not a direct hit.

 

[DrakeFreedom]

the first really cool nikita strategy that comes to mine is IF you play with smash balls nikitas can break it with only one shot.

other than all the other stuff people said i can't think of any other solild strategies. im confident more will be discovered

 

[Yunaleskamodern]

nikitia imo might be snakes best move & goes well beyond edgeguard
between that and grenade/dodge mixups

good defensive tool to cancle missile right infront of you to keep peopple away, iirc blast doesnt cause self-harrme

 

[Fafnir]

Actually, exploding it on the floor next to them causes less damage. I think it only does 7 damage, whereas if you directly hit your opponent, it does 14 damage.

Yep. It also does reduced damage if you get it to explode before the thrusters turn on(right when it's fired). Still, dropping the missiles mid-flight is a good way to screw around with people.

 

[rigapeen]

the first really cool nikita strategy that comes to mine is IF you play with smash balls nikitas can break it with only one shot.

good info there drake. next time i play dedede i'll take that into account.

im not so sure what everybody loves about nikitas in long range edgeguarding. i'd much rather jump off and bair a guy or double jump nair a guy than miss my nikita. if hes that high he'll just airdodge it anyway right?

i like using nikitas for dropping right on the ledge. also as someone pointed out if you go in circles around the ledge you can stop tether recoveries.