No More Monkey Business - A Guide to Donkey Kong (ver. 0.5) [04/Apr/2008]
By: Tom
Table of Contents:
0. Version History
1. Introduction
2. Terminology
3. Move List
4. Throws
5. Giant Punch (Neutral B)
6. Spinning Kong (Up+B)
7. Techniques
8. Strategies
9. Character Matchups
10. Stage Evaluations
11. Miscellaneous
12. Special Thanks
0. Version History
04/Apr/2008 - Version 0.5 posted
1. Introduction
Welcome to No More Monkey Business, a guide to playing a skilled Donkey Kong in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Maybe you've wanted to play DK ever since you saw how much fun it must have been to be the one throwing the barrels, or maybe you're new to the ape. Whatever the case, my goal is to make sure that everyone who reads this guide will be confident in their Kong. For that reason, this guide will provide an in-depth analysis of his strengths, his weaknesses, his moves, his matchups, and the techniques and strategies you can incorporate into your game to use DK to his fullest potential.
This guide was written by me, Tom, but that doesn't mean that I can take much credit -- thats not the way this guide should be. It should start out as a creation by one, and it should become a compilation by many. Kyle_Wattula has been running discussion in his DK 101: A Primer thread, and provided me with a large amount of information and permission to work with it. This is the spirit that I wish to see emulated throughout the life of this guide. Once you have read it, be sure to take note of any mistakes you may notice, questions that you may want to raise, or sections that could benefit from your information. Is there a technique that needs to be added to the thread? Post away. Is there a discussion in the DK forums whose findings should be added to this thread? Post away. Should some terminology be added to said section? Post away. You get the picture.
The goal is that you will be confident in your knowledge of this character, to have the strength of the leader of the pack. But this is no monkey business. We are a community, and we are individually strengthened when we are collectively strengthened. Who knows? The new DK player you help one day could be the one who discovers the technique that pushes DK to new heights.
I wish I could say that I will begin without further ado, but if you are new, the following section will teach you the appropriate terminology. You must learn to grab before you can cargo.
2. Terminology
Aerial terminology - A forwards aerial is abbreviated to a f-air or fair, backwards aerial to b-air or bair, upwards aerial to u-air or uair, downwards aerial to d-air or dair, and a neutral aerial to n-air or nair.
B-sticking - Configuring your c-stick to do special attacks (b moves). After jumping forwards, hitting the c-stick in the opposite direction will cause your character to reverse momentum while performing the attack.
Cargo throw - DK's forward throw puts his opponent onto his back, giving him multiple options on how to treat his new cargo. Down-cargo means cargo to down cargo throw, Up-cargo means cargo to up cargo throw, and Forward-cargo means cargo to forward cargo throw. Note that the down-cargo throw them more forward than the forward cargo does.
Directional influence (DI) - Pushing your control stick in the direction(s) opposite your trajectory after being hit. Helps you live longer.
Edge guard - Attacking, pressuring, or spiking so that your opponent has a harder time getting to the ledge.
Edge hog - Edge guarding by grabbing the ledge of the stage, so that your opponent cannot grab it.
Fast fall (FF) - Pressing down on the control stick while in the air will allow you to fast fall.
Footstool - The Footstool jump is when you jump on top of your opponent's head, and you bounce off of them. Footstool spiking is Footstooling your opponent when they are off of the stage, and it is very situational.
Foxtrot - Dashing and then performing another after the initial dash ends.
Jab cancel - Shielding or pressing down right after the part of a neutral A
attack, canceling the lag and allowing you to do anything immediately after.
Lag - The amount of time it takes before or after a move to perform an action. Can also refer to the lag experienced over Wifi with a slow connection.
Ledge hop - Pressing away from the edge and then using your double jump will allow you to do any air action while you get onto the stage.
Reverse Aerial Rush (RAR) - Also known as Brawl's "Moonwalking." During a dash, if you immediately press the control stick in the opposite direction you will turn around. By jumping immediately after turning you can keep your momentum while doing a backwards jump, allowing you to approach with a Bair.
Sex kick - A neutral air (nair) that sticks out and then remains out for a period of time. Examples include Mario's nair and Fox's nair.
Shield cancel - By shielding and immediately putting it away, you can stop
a dash after the initial dash frames and slide a bit, allowing you to perform
any action.
Shine - Fox/Falco/Wolf down+b attack.
Short hop - A shorter first jump that is performed by quickly tapping the jump button.
Spike - Any attack causing an opponent to move downwards at a high speed that
stuns enough to make it extremely difficult to recover from. Marth's dair is
a perfect example of a spike.
Stage spike - a technique that involves hitting or throwing your opponent into the stage, so they they bounce off of it at a downward angle and are spiked. DK can stage spike if he cargos the opponent, walks off, and throw them into the stage.
Super armor - Frames that render a character invulnerable to knockback, though
they can still take damage.
Sweetspot - Recovering in a way so that you will immediately grab the ledge.
Tilts - By tilting the control stick and tapping A, you will do your tilt attacks.
Wall of Pain - a technique used by Jigglypuff that entails spamming back aerials with minimal lag.
3. Move List
A - Jab: (4%)
AA - Cross: (6%)
The AA combo is your basic bread and butter, though it won't be used very often. Even with jab-cancelling, your f-tilt and d-tilt are much better for long range, and your d-smash is surprisingly fast. Can cancel projectiles, but it is safer to use f-tilt. As with most moves, the sweetspot is DK's hands.
Forward tilt - Backhand: (10%)
The F-tilt is an incredible weapon, and one of the staples of DK's game. F-tilt's range is greater than D-tilt's, and in one way, this makes f-tilt your best basic poke. There is little lag afterwards, although if you are caught spamming f-tilt, a smart opponent should be able to interrupt you with correct timing. Combos well with d-tilt, and if you expect that they will shield and then advance after it, f-smash. The knockback on the f-tilt is great, but not exactly killing material. Walking forwards in between F-tilts is a classic approach.
Down tilt - Sweep: (8%)
The D-tilt is the closest thing to a shield-poke that DK has. The lag on this move is very minimal, so it is spammable, and it combos very well. The important attribute of the d-tilt is that it forces your opponent to trip, depending on their %. Lighter characters trip in lower percentages (0-20%?) and heavier characters trip at higher percentages (35-50%?). Your ability to trip the opponent does not diminish over time or due to consecutive hits.
Up tilt - Overhead slap: (9%)
The uptilt is another great combo tool. The range extends in front of DK, above him, and behind him, with more emphasis behind than in front; the sweetspot is the elbow and the hand that follows. On most characters at 0%, you can combo 2 uptilts together, but with those who are heavier (Dedede, Bowser, DK) or those who fall faster (Falcon, Fox, Falco), you should be able to get 3-4 in a row. You can replace the last uptilt with an upsmash for more percentage, or you can anticipate their falling attack (most likely d-air), shield it, and shieldgrab them.
Forward smash - Forward clap: (20/21% - 28/29%)
The F-smash is one of your best killing moves, especially on the ground. The damage is great, the knockback is powerful, and the lag after the clap is minimal. To change up your game, you can use the f-smash as a poke instead of the f-tilt or d-tilt, especially if the opponent is at a high percentage. The sweetspot is between his hands as he claps.
Down smash - Ground slam: (14/17% - 19/23%)
The D-smash is a great killing move, albeit different than the F-smash. The move is surprisingly fast, and it generates a hitbox both in front and behind of you. This is great against the ICs, and it is great to use against opponents who roll often. If you expect the opponent to roll behind you, you can use d-smash: if they do roll, you hit them; if they don't roll, you still attack fowards and hit them/their shield. The sweetspot is again on the fists.
Up smash - Upward clap: (18% - 25%)
The Upsmash has great anti-air abilities, and may prove to replace DK's Melee up-air tactics. It does not hit someone in front or behind you, because the hitbox is directly over DK where his hands clap. Project Vertical concluded that it is almost the best upsmash against aerial opponents.
Dash attack - Running kick: (11%)
The dash attack hits opponents more away than upwards, and the lag afterwards isn't too bad, though if you hit your opponents shield, they will most likely punish you.
Ledge attack: (8%)
The ledge attack is a fast butt-bump from (DK's) 0-100%. It is fairly quick and useful, even with all of your other options from the ledge (stalling, ledge-hopping, rolling, jumping). You can hit your opponent with it if they whiff a laggy move on the edge, because it is quick enough to reach and punish them. You should memorize how far DK actually goes, because an experienced player may bait you while staying right outside your range. Remember to watch your percentage, because after 100%, your ledge attack changes drastically -- it becomes a very slow get-up with a slight punch. Because of this change, you may want to Ledge Dodge, which is discussed in the Techniques section.
Neutral aerial - Spin: (11-8%)
The n-air can be used to punish aerial opponents you are in front/above you because of the f-air's laggy startup, although the n-air's landing lag is so severe that you may want to upair or simply fastfall and attack from the ground. Not too useful. The sweetspot is on DK's head and his shoulder's as he spins, and the move does more damage and knockback at the beginning.
Forward aerial - Vertical slam: (16%)
The f-air is incredibly strong and can be a killing move, but at a price; the move is laggy both before and after the hit. Depending on when you hit your opponent, the trajectory is different: hitting them with the beginning of the attack will send them away, while hitting them with the downwards motion will spike them. Although the move is slow, it still finds common use. If you are able to anticipate your opponent's movements, the f-air is a good choice. I find myself using the f-air's lag to my advantage -- if the opponent times a spot dodge or a mid-air dodge anticipating your d-air, then the f-air will hit them. Just be a smart monkey.
Backwards aerial - Backwards kick: (13%)
The b-air is another staple of DK's game. DK can pull off two b-airs in a single short hop, so spamming them like a pseudo Wall of Pain is possible. The b-air can combo well, and could kill as an edgeguarding move if the damage has not been diminished. It is common to find a DK player turn his back to his opponent and "advance" with b-airs. The sweetspot is DK's heel.
Upwards aerial - Upwards headbutt: (14%)
The up-air was one of DK's greatest assets in Melee, but it has lost most of its combo ability in Brawl because its knockback has been increased. It can be useful to use to attack an opponent who is above you, but if they are falling from a great distance, they will most likely see it coming.
Downwards aerial - Spike: (16%)
The d-air is a spike and, when used correctly, a great edge-guarding tool. On land, however, the landing lag is fairly long. If you are in your shield, you can short hop a d-air towards a close opponent, but other than that, I wouldn't use this move until +50% and would only use it to interrupt or to spike.
Over B - Head Butt (10% grounded, 14% aerial)
The Head butt is a move that cannot be overlooked, because although it is different, it has its important uses. While on the ground, connecting the head butt with an opponent will push them into the ground, and they are stuck there for a time directly proportionate to their percentage damage. Early on, when they are stuck, d-smash is quicker than f-smash and could lead to more combos. Later on, you could use an f-smash. At any time, you could do a previously charged Giant Punch. While in the air, the head butt works as a spike. You can attempt to spike them as they sweetspot the ledge, or you can hold onto the ledge and drop off of it by doing the over+B.
Two important characteristics of the head butt are (1) its ability to destroy shields and (2) its great pushback. Addressing the former, basically the head butt is devastating to shields. Just try it, and surprise yourself with the fact that their shield is already almost gone. A successful over+B against a shield will either break their shield or instill the fear in them that their shield is almost broken, and they will attempt to avoid shielding until it can recharge. If their shield breaks, charge a Giant Punch and then charge an f-smash or up smash -- but make sure you begin charging the Giant Punch as soon as you hear their shield break, so that you will have time to do both. If a fully charged smash attack will kill the opponent, you don't have to charge the Giant Punch first, because you can just do it after they are dead. This way you don't risk running out of time. The second characteristic is that if the opponent's shield does not break, they will be pushed far enough away from you so that they should not be able to shield grab you.
Note that you should "sweetspot" the Head Butt with DK's actual head. It is not prove that the opponent is stuck in the ground for a longer time. But it is obvious that this way, the hitbox is as far away from you as possible, so people can whiff against you.
Down B - Hand Slap (14% per slam)
The down+B has a stigma of a "noob move" that has transferred from Melee, but as with many of DK's moves, it has been buffed in Brawl. The down+B can hit people out of rolls, dash attacks, and spot dodges, its sends them upwards, and it cannot be shield grabbed. This is also great for destroying destructible objects like walls and statues. However, the over+B or down smash may be better alternatives for chasing rolls and spot dodges.
4. Throws
Upward throw (9%)
DK chucks the opponent over his head and into the air. The upwards throw is overshadowed by the others, simply because the other throws have more potential for comboing, gimping, and killing your opponents. However, it should be remembered that a universal doubles combo is an upward throw to your partner's strongest aerial.
Downward throw (7%)
DK slams the opponent into the ground and they bounce forwards and upwards. At low percentages, the downthrow shows its use in that it can be followed by a foward-tilt, down-tilt, or a running regrab.
Backward throw (11%)
DK hurls the opponent over his shoulder. The back throw is fairly powerful if the knockback has not been diminished, and could be used as a killing move or set-up into an edge guard. However, this would mean that you are at the edge of the stage facing inwards, which is optimal positioning for the gimping stage-spiking possibilities of the Cargo throw. Read about that in the Techniques section.
Forward throw - Cargo:
The Cargo throw is DK's main throw, and for good reason -- the possibilities are almost endless. The Cargo throw plays out like this: you grab them, maybe hit them a few times, and then when you hit forwards to throw them, DK puts the opponent on his back. The amount of time that the opponent stays in your clutches is dependant on their percentage. From this position, he is able to move around, jump once, and throw them in three different directions. A common and obvious technique is to put the opponent on your back and then move towards the ledge, and then throw them off of the stage. In Melee, the Cargo throw was a chain throw on fastfallers, and you could chain it into up-airs and regrab to continue the combo. In Brawl, however, things have changed.
Upwards Cargo (7%):
The upwards Cargo now has such knockback that DK is unable to combo out of it. You can throw them upwards and then prepare to attack them when they return, but the chain from Melee is gone.
Forwards Cargo (8%):
The forwards Cargo is important. At low percentages, you can forwards cargo to up-air as long as you follow the opponent correctly. It is good to jump from the Cargo and ascend with the opponent while performing the forward Cargo if you do this. The fowards Cargo is also used for the Cargo stagespike, which again, is covered in the Techniques section.
Downward Cargo (6%):
The downwards Cargo actually throws the opponent forwards, but DK throws them underhanded instead of overhanded, so that they move at a lower trajectory. It might as well be a "fowards" throw. It can be used to throw the opponent off of the stage instead of the forwards Cargo, because the forwards cargo throw the opponent too high to be able to be edgeguarded properly.
5. Giant Punch (Neutral B)
Basic Giant Punch Information:
Neutral B - Giant Punch 10, 28 fully charged.
As a note, if you have free time, don't show off. Charge a Giant Punch, and then beat your chest or play with the edges. You can cancel your charge by pressing R, L, or Z, or rolling left or right.
1) Damage:
The Giant Punch can be charged for a total of ten spins of DK's arm, and the wind-up can be cancelled with R/L, with Z, and DK can roll out of his charging animation by pressing over on the control stick. The following chart explains what number of winds-up of DK's fist equates to what % damage dealt:
1- 10%
2- 12%
3- 14%
4- 16%
5- 18%
6- 20%
7- 22%
8- 24%
9- 26%
10- 28%
The knockback is very strong.
2) Super Armor
The fully charged Giant Punch has Super Armor when it generates its hitboxes, which is a very good thing. This means that, as long as you time it correctly, your Giant Punch will go through the opponent's attack, be it a dash attack, forward smash, whatever.
3) Mindgames
Once you have a fully charged Giant Punch, you may notice that your opponent begins to play differently. Kin to Samus's fully charged shot, the Giant Punch puts your opponents on their feet. Taken from Kyle's thread, "Anyone above 50% is dead. With this, DK controls FEAR in man." Simple enough, eh? Your opponent will be worrying about the Giant Punch, and you can take advantage of this.
A good idea is to play as if you "forgot" you had the Giant Punch charged. Continue to combo like normal, making sure that you don't pass up on your regular options for an ill-prepared Giant Punch -- you don't want to waste what you've spent your time charging. Then, when the opponent makes a sloppy approach or you find an opening, release the punch.
Also, know that you can charge your Giant Punch in mid-air, and you can cancel it afterwards as well. You can also turn around mid-air before you Giant Punch. Mindgames.
6. Spinning Kong (Up+B)
Basic Spinning Kong Information:
1) Damage:
The Spinning Kong is nine hits in total, although unless you have the opponent against a wall, or you predict their DI and follow them, you will most likely not hit all nine times. The following chart explains the damage done. Remember that after multiple uses, the damage from the Spinning Kong will decrease.
1st- 5%
2nd- 5% (10)
3rd- 4% (14)
4th- 5% (19)
5th- 4% (23)
6th- 3% (26)
7th- 3% (29)
8th- 3% (32)
9th- 4% (36)
2) Movement:
When using the Spinning Kong from the ground, it is important to know that you cannot move backwards. Holding towards the direction you were facing will move you forwards, and letting go will stop your movement; there is no momentum to worry about. Even after the hitboxes are gone and DK's animation is ending, holding forwards will allow you to continue to slide on the ground.
When using the Spinning Kong in the air, you can move both backwards and forwards. Holding up or down will not determine your height gain, and neither will tapping B. Holding towards either direction will move you in that direction, and letting go will not stop your movement; DK's momentum slowly decreases after you let go of the stick. Therefore, holding your direction throughout the entire animation of the Spinning Kong will move you much farther than letting go of the direction. To get a sense of your horizontal distance traveled, he moves slightly more than the length of the ground on Battlefield. By holding down on the control stick after moving in a direction, you can quicken the decrease of your momentum in that direction and approach a hover.
3) Super Armor
At the beginning of the Spinning Kong from the ground, DK has Super Armor frames. As a reminder, this means that he can still take damage, but he will not be knocked back and the Spinning Kong will not be interrupted. The window is the whole entire time that his elbow is raised before it is active. However, there is a small window after his invulnerability, and before the hitboxes are generated, where DK can be hit out of the move.
The Super Armor has proven to be effective against single strike attacks, but not attacks that generate multiple hitboxes.
Spinning Kong Techniques:
1) Spinning Kong Stall:
Please note that while this stall is extremely useful, it is not a true infinite. Specifically, your invincibility frames run out when you are up+Bing back to the stage. You will be able to avoid most attacks because of your timing, but if you go against Bowser's or Charizard's flames, you will get hit.
The Stall begins by holding onto the ledge. Pressing backwards on the control stick while on the ledge will result in DK's letting go of it. Immediately after dropping from the ledge, you up+B back towards it. It is easiest to roll the control stick in a 90 degree motion, from backwards to upwards, and hit B when you hit up.
When you grab the ledge, you get invincibility frames. You then drop off of the ledge, and then up+B, getting the Super Armor from the Spinning Kong, and reach the ledge, renewing your invincibility frames.
It is important to note that after grabbing the ledge, you cannot immediately drop off of it again. There is a period of time in which pressing backwards will do nothing. A common mistake is to press backwards too early, and then press up+B, resulting in doing DK's ledge get-up attack. This also explains why the Infinite's timing should be practiced, so you do not wait too long and risk creating an opening in your invincibility.
Obviously you can use this stall as a stalling technique, but equally important is its usefulness as an edgeguarding technique. When the opponent is coming from under the ledge or recovering low, hanging off of the ledge until the appropriate moment and then up+Bing can disrupt their recovery and possibly stage spike them. The Infinite can also be used to re-apply the invincibility frames from the ledge, so that you can successfully ledgehog your opponent.
When combined with the Cargo stagespiking and edgeguarding techniques, the stall can prove as a literally lethal weapon.
2) Spinning Kong to Grab the Ledge:
Remember how you can move forward from a grounded Spinning Kong? Well,
3) Spinning Kong from the Ledge:
a) General Stages
b) Battlefield
c)Yoshi's Story & Lylat Cruise
By: Tom
Table of Contents:
0. Version History
1. Introduction
2. Terminology
3. Move List
4. Throws
5. Giant Punch (Neutral B)
6. Spinning Kong (Up+B)
7. Techniques
8. Strategies
9. Character Matchups
10. Stage Evaluations
11. Miscellaneous
12. Special Thanks
0. Version History
04/Apr/2008 - Version 0.5 posted
1. Introduction
Welcome to No More Monkey Business, a guide to playing a skilled Donkey Kong in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Maybe you've wanted to play DK ever since you saw how much fun it must have been to be the one throwing the barrels, or maybe you're new to the ape. Whatever the case, my goal is to make sure that everyone who reads this guide will be confident in their Kong. For that reason, this guide will provide an in-depth analysis of his strengths, his weaknesses, his moves, his matchups, and the techniques and strategies you can incorporate into your game to use DK to his fullest potential.
This guide was written by me, Tom, but that doesn't mean that I can take much credit -- thats not the way this guide should be. It should start out as a creation by one, and it should become a compilation by many. Kyle_Wattula has been running discussion in his DK 101: A Primer thread, and provided me with a large amount of information and permission to work with it. This is the spirit that I wish to see emulated throughout the life of this guide. Once you have read it, be sure to take note of any mistakes you may notice, questions that you may want to raise, or sections that could benefit from your information. Is there a technique that needs to be added to the thread? Post away. Is there a discussion in the DK forums whose findings should be added to this thread? Post away. Should some terminology be added to said section? Post away. You get the picture.
The goal is that you will be confident in your knowledge of this character, to have the strength of the leader of the pack. But this is no monkey business. We are a community, and we are individually strengthened when we are collectively strengthened. Who knows? The new DK player you help one day could be the one who discovers the technique that pushes DK to new heights.
I wish I could say that I will begin without further ado, but if you are new, the following section will teach you the appropriate terminology. You must learn to grab before you can cargo.
2. Terminology
Aerial terminology - A forwards aerial is abbreviated to a f-air or fair, backwards aerial to b-air or bair, upwards aerial to u-air or uair, downwards aerial to d-air or dair, and a neutral aerial to n-air or nair.
B-sticking - Configuring your c-stick to do special attacks (b moves). After jumping forwards, hitting the c-stick in the opposite direction will cause your character to reverse momentum while performing the attack.
Cargo throw - DK's forward throw puts his opponent onto his back, giving him multiple options on how to treat his new cargo. Down-cargo means cargo to down cargo throw, Up-cargo means cargo to up cargo throw, and Forward-cargo means cargo to forward cargo throw. Note that the down-cargo throw them more forward than the forward cargo does.
Directional influence (DI) - Pushing your control stick in the direction(s) opposite your trajectory after being hit. Helps you live longer.
Edge guard - Attacking, pressuring, or spiking so that your opponent has a harder time getting to the ledge.
Edge hog - Edge guarding by grabbing the ledge of the stage, so that your opponent cannot grab it.
Fast fall (FF) - Pressing down on the control stick while in the air will allow you to fast fall.
Footstool - The Footstool jump is when you jump on top of your opponent's head, and you bounce off of them. Footstool spiking is Footstooling your opponent when they are off of the stage, and it is very situational.
Foxtrot - Dashing and then performing another after the initial dash ends.
Jab cancel - Shielding or pressing down right after the part of a neutral A
attack, canceling the lag and allowing you to do anything immediately after.
Lag - The amount of time it takes before or after a move to perform an action. Can also refer to the lag experienced over Wifi with a slow connection.
Ledge hop - Pressing away from the edge and then using your double jump will allow you to do any air action while you get onto the stage.
Reverse Aerial Rush (RAR) - Also known as Brawl's "Moonwalking." During a dash, if you immediately press the control stick in the opposite direction you will turn around. By jumping immediately after turning you can keep your momentum while doing a backwards jump, allowing you to approach with a Bair.
Sex kick - A neutral air (nair) that sticks out and then remains out for a period of time. Examples include Mario's nair and Fox's nair.
Shield cancel - By shielding and immediately putting it away, you can stop
a dash after the initial dash frames and slide a bit, allowing you to perform
any action.
Shine - Fox/Falco/Wolf down+b attack.
Short hop - A shorter first jump that is performed by quickly tapping the jump button.
Spike - Any attack causing an opponent to move downwards at a high speed that
stuns enough to make it extremely difficult to recover from. Marth's dair is
a perfect example of a spike.
Stage spike - a technique that involves hitting or throwing your opponent into the stage, so they they bounce off of it at a downward angle and are spiked. DK can stage spike if he cargos the opponent, walks off, and throw them into the stage.
Super armor - Frames that render a character invulnerable to knockback, though
they can still take damage.
Sweetspot - Recovering in a way so that you will immediately grab the ledge.
Tilts - By tilting the control stick and tapping A, you will do your tilt attacks.
Wall of Pain - a technique used by Jigglypuff that entails spamming back aerials with minimal lag.
3. Move List
A - Jab: (4%)
AA - Cross: (6%)
The AA combo is your basic bread and butter, though it won't be used very often. Even with jab-cancelling, your f-tilt and d-tilt are much better for long range, and your d-smash is surprisingly fast. Can cancel projectiles, but it is safer to use f-tilt. As with most moves, the sweetspot is DK's hands.
Forward tilt - Backhand: (10%)
The F-tilt is an incredible weapon, and one of the staples of DK's game. F-tilt's range is greater than D-tilt's, and in one way, this makes f-tilt your best basic poke. There is little lag afterwards, although if you are caught spamming f-tilt, a smart opponent should be able to interrupt you with correct timing. Combos well with d-tilt, and if you expect that they will shield and then advance after it, f-smash. The knockback on the f-tilt is great, but not exactly killing material. Walking forwards in between F-tilts is a classic approach.
Down tilt - Sweep: (8%)
The D-tilt is the closest thing to a shield-poke that DK has. The lag on this move is very minimal, so it is spammable, and it combos very well. The important attribute of the d-tilt is that it forces your opponent to trip, depending on their %. Lighter characters trip in lower percentages (0-20%?) and heavier characters trip at higher percentages (35-50%?). Your ability to trip the opponent does not diminish over time or due to consecutive hits.
Up tilt - Overhead slap: (9%)
The uptilt is another great combo tool. The range extends in front of DK, above him, and behind him, with more emphasis behind than in front; the sweetspot is the elbow and the hand that follows. On most characters at 0%, you can combo 2 uptilts together, but with those who are heavier (Dedede, Bowser, DK) or those who fall faster (Falcon, Fox, Falco), you should be able to get 3-4 in a row. You can replace the last uptilt with an upsmash for more percentage, or you can anticipate their falling attack (most likely d-air), shield it, and shieldgrab them.
Forward smash - Forward clap: (20/21% - 28/29%)
The F-smash is one of your best killing moves, especially on the ground. The damage is great, the knockback is powerful, and the lag after the clap is minimal. To change up your game, you can use the f-smash as a poke instead of the f-tilt or d-tilt, especially if the opponent is at a high percentage. The sweetspot is between his hands as he claps.
Down smash - Ground slam: (14/17% - 19/23%)
The D-smash is a great killing move, albeit different than the F-smash. The move is surprisingly fast, and it generates a hitbox both in front and behind of you. This is great against the ICs, and it is great to use against opponents who roll often. If you expect the opponent to roll behind you, you can use d-smash: if they do roll, you hit them; if they don't roll, you still attack fowards and hit them/their shield. The sweetspot is again on the fists.
Up smash - Upward clap: (18% - 25%)
The Upsmash has great anti-air abilities, and may prove to replace DK's Melee up-air tactics. It does not hit someone in front or behind you, because the hitbox is directly over DK where his hands clap. Project Vertical concluded that it is almost the best upsmash against aerial opponents.
Dash attack - Running kick: (11%)
The dash attack hits opponents more away than upwards, and the lag afterwards isn't too bad, though if you hit your opponents shield, they will most likely punish you.
Ledge attack: (8%)
The ledge attack is a fast butt-bump from (DK's) 0-100%. It is fairly quick and useful, even with all of your other options from the ledge (stalling, ledge-hopping, rolling, jumping). You can hit your opponent with it if they whiff a laggy move on the edge, because it is quick enough to reach and punish them. You should memorize how far DK actually goes, because an experienced player may bait you while staying right outside your range. Remember to watch your percentage, because after 100%, your ledge attack changes drastically -- it becomes a very slow get-up with a slight punch. Because of this change, you may want to Ledge Dodge, which is discussed in the Techniques section.
Neutral aerial - Spin: (11-8%)
The n-air can be used to punish aerial opponents you are in front/above you because of the f-air's laggy startup, although the n-air's landing lag is so severe that you may want to upair or simply fastfall and attack from the ground. Not too useful. The sweetspot is on DK's head and his shoulder's as he spins, and the move does more damage and knockback at the beginning.
Forward aerial - Vertical slam: (16%)
The f-air is incredibly strong and can be a killing move, but at a price; the move is laggy both before and after the hit. Depending on when you hit your opponent, the trajectory is different: hitting them with the beginning of the attack will send them away, while hitting them with the downwards motion will spike them. Although the move is slow, it still finds common use. If you are able to anticipate your opponent's movements, the f-air is a good choice. I find myself using the f-air's lag to my advantage -- if the opponent times a spot dodge or a mid-air dodge anticipating your d-air, then the f-air will hit them. Just be a smart monkey.
Backwards aerial - Backwards kick: (13%)
The b-air is another staple of DK's game. DK can pull off two b-airs in a single short hop, so spamming them like a pseudo Wall of Pain is possible. The b-air can combo well, and could kill as an edgeguarding move if the damage has not been diminished. It is common to find a DK player turn his back to his opponent and "advance" with b-airs. The sweetspot is DK's heel.
Upwards aerial - Upwards headbutt: (14%)
The up-air was one of DK's greatest assets in Melee, but it has lost most of its combo ability in Brawl because its knockback has been increased. It can be useful to use to attack an opponent who is above you, but if they are falling from a great distance, they will most likely see it coming.
Downwards aerial - Spike: (16%)
The d-air is a spike and, when used correctly, a great edge-guarding tool. On land, however, the landing lag is fairly long. If you are in your shield, you can short hop a d-air towards a close opponent, but other than that, I wouldn't use this move until +50% and would only use it to interrupt or to spike.
Over B - Head Butt (10% grounded, 14% aerial)
The Head butt is a move that cannot be overlooked, because although it is different, it has its important uses. While on the ground, connecting the head butt with an opponent will push them into the ground, and they are stuck there for a time directly proportionate to their percentage damage. Early on, when they are stuck, d-smash is quicker than f-smash and could lead to more combos. Later on, you could use an f-smash. At any time, you could do a previously charged Giant Punch. While in the air, the head butt works as a spike. You can attempt to spike them as they sweetspot the ledge, or you can hold onto the ledge and drop off of it by doing the over+B.
Two important characteristics of the head butt are (1) its ability to destroy shields and (2) its great pushback. Addressing the former, basically the head butt is devastating to shields. Just try it, and surprise yourself with the fact that their shield is already almost gone. A successful over+B against a shield will either break their shield or instill the fear in them that their shield is almost broken, and they will attempt to avoid shielding until it can recharge. If their shield breaks, charge a Giant Punch and then charge an f-smash or up smash -- but make sure you begin charging the Giant Punch as soon as you hear their shield break, so that you will have time to do both. If a fully charged smash attack will kill the opponent, you don't have to charge the Giant Punch first, because you can just do it after they are dead. This way you don't risk running out of time. The second characteristic is that if the opponent's shield does not break, they will be pushed far enough away from you so that they should not be able to shield grab you.
Note that you should "sweetspot" the Head Butt with DK's actual head. It is not prove that the opponent is stuck in the ground for a longer time. But it is obvious that this way, the hitbox is as far away from you as possible, so people can whiff against you.
Down B - Hand Slap (14% per slam)
The down+B has a stigma of a "noob move" that has transferred from Melee, but as with many of DK's moves, it has been buffed in Brawl. The down+B can hit people out of rolls, dash attacks, and spot dodges, its sends them upwards, and it cannot be shield grabbed. This is also great for destroying destructible objects like walls and statues. However, the over+B or down smash may be better alternatives for chasing rolls and spot dodges.
4. Throws
Upward throw (9%)
DK chucks the opponent over his head and into the air. The upwards throw is overshadowed by the others, simply because the other throws have more potential for comboing, gimping, and killing your opponents. However, it should be remembered that a universal doubles combo is an upward throw to your partner's strongest aerial.
Downward throw (7%)
DK slams the opponent into the ground and they bounce forwards and upwards. At low percentages, the downthrow shows its use in that it can be followed by a foward-tilt, down-tilt, or a running regrab.
Backward throw (11%)
DK hurls the opponent over his shoulder. The back throw is fairly powerful if the knockback has not been diminished, and could be used as a killing move or set-up into an edge guard. However, this would mean that you are at the edge of the stage facing inwards, which is optimal positioning for the gimping stage-spiking possibilities of the Cargo throw. Read about that in the Techniques section.
Forward throw - Cargo:
The Cargo throw is DK's main throw, and for good reason -- the possibilities are almost endless. The Cargo throw plays out like this: you grab them, maybe hit them a few times, and then when you hit forwards to throw them, DK puts the opponent on his back. The amount of time that the opponent stays in your clutches is dependant on their percentage. From this position, he is able to move around, jump once, and throw them in three different directions. A common and obvious technique is to put the opponent on your back and then move towards the ledge, and then throw them off of the stage. In Melee, the Cargo throw was a chain throw on fastfallers, and you could chain it into up-airs and regrab to continue the combo. In Brawl, however, things have changed.
Upwards Cargo (7%):
The upwards Cargo now has such knockback that DK is unable to combo out of it. You can throw them upwards and then prepare to attack them when they return, but the chain from Melee is gone.
Forwards Cargo (8%):
The forwards Cargo is important. At low percentages, you can forwards cargo to up-air as long as you follow the opponent correctly. It is good to jump from the Cargo and ascend with the opponent while performing the forward Cargo if you do this. The fowards Cargo is also used for the Cargo stagespike, which again, is covered in the Techniques section.
Downward Cargo (6%):
The downwards Cargo actually throws the opponent forwards, but DK throws them underhanded instead of overhanded, so that they move at a lower trajectory. It might as well be a "fowards" throw. It can be used to throw the opponent off of the stage instead of the forwards Cargo, because the forwards cargo throw the opponent too high to be able to be edgeguarded properly.
5. Giant Punch (Neutral B)
Basic Giant Punch Information:
Neutral B - Giant Punch 10, 28 fully charged.
As a note, if you have free time, don't show off. Charge a Giant Punch, and then beat your chest or play with the edges. You can cancel your charge by pressing R, L, or Z, or rolling left or right.
1) Damage:
The Giant Punch can be charged for a total of ten spins of DK's arm, and the wind-up can be cancelled with R/L, with Z, and DK can roll out of his charging animation by pressing over on the control stick. The following chart explains what number of winds-up of DK's fist equates to what % damage dealt:
1- 10%
2- 12%
3- 14%
4- 16%
5- 18%
6- 20%
7- 22%
8- 24%
9- 26%
10- 28%
The knockback is very strong.
2) Super Armor
The fully charged Giant Punch has Super Armor when it generates its hitboxes, which is a very good thing. This means that, as long as you time it correctly, your Giant Punch will go through the opponent's attack, be it a dash attack, forward smash, whatever.
3) Mindgames
Once you have a fully charged Giant Punch, you may notice that your opponent begins to play differently. Kin to Samus's fully charged shot, the Giant Punch puts your opponents on their feet. Taken from Kyle's thread, "Anyone above 50% is dead. With this, DK controls FEAR in man." Simple enough, eh? Your opponent will be worrying about the Giant Punch, and you can take advantage of this.
A good idea is to play as if you "forgot" you had the Giant Punch charged. Continue to combo like normal, making sure that you don't pass up on your regular options for an ill-prepared Giant Punch -- you don't want to waste what you've spent your time charging. Then, when the opponent makes a sloppy approach or you find an opening, release the punch.
Also, know that you can charge your Giant Punch in mid-air, and you can cancel it afterwards as well. You can also turn around mid-air before you Giant Punch. Mindgames.
6. Spinning Kong (Up+B)
Basic Spinning Kong Information:
1) Damage:
The Spinning Kong is nine hits in total, although unless you have the opponent against a wall, or you predict their DI and follow them, you will most likely not hit all nine times. The following chart explains the damage done. Remember that after multiple uses, the damage from the Spinning Kong will decrease.
1st- 5%
2nd- 5% (10)
3rd- 4% (14)
4th- 5% (19)
5th- 4% (23)
6th- 3% (26)
7th- 3% (29)
8th- 3% (32)
9th- 4% (36)
2) Movement:
When using the Spinning Kong from the ground, it is important to know that you cannot move backwards. Holding towards the direction you were facing will move you forwards, and letting go will stop your movement; there is no momentum to worry about. Even after the hitboxes are gone and DK's animation is ending, holding forwards will allow you to continue to slide on the ground.
When using the Spinning Kong in the air, you can move both backwards and forwards. Holding up or down will not determine your height gain, and neither will tapping B. Holding towards either direction will move you in that direction, and letting go will not stop your movement; DK's momentum slowly decreases after you let go of the stick. Therefore, holding your direction throughout the entire animation of the Spinning Kong will move you much farther than letting go of the direction. To get a sense of your horizontal distance traveled, he moves slightly more than the length of the ground on Battlefield. By holding down on the control stick after moving in a direction, you can quicken the decrease of your momentum in that direction and approach a hover.
3) Super Armor
At the beginning of the Spinning Kong from the ground, DK has Super Armor frames. As a reminder, this means that he can still take damage, but he will not be knocked back and the Spinning Kong will not be interrupted. The window is the whole entire time that his elbow is raised before it is active. However, there is a small window after his invulnerability, and before the hitboxes are generated, where DK can be hit out of the move.
The Super Armor has proven to be effective against single strike attacks, but not attacks that generate multiple hitboxes.
Spinning Kong Techniques:
1) Spinning Kong Stall:
Please note that while this stall is extremely useful, it is not a true infinite. Specifically, your invincibility frames run out when you are up+Bing back to the stage. You will be able to avoid most attacks because of your timing, but if you go against Bowser's or Charizard's flames, you will get hit.
The Stall begins by holding onto the ledge. Pressing backwards on the control stick while on the ledge will result in DK's letting go of it. Immediately after dropping from the ledge, you up+B back towards it. It is easiest to roll the control stick in a 90 degree motion, from backwards to upwards, and hit B when you hit up.
When you grab the ledge, you get invincibility frames. You then drop off of the ledge, and then up+B, getting the Super Armor from the Spinning Kong, and reach the ledge, renewing your invincibility frames.
It is important to note that after grabbing the ledge, you cannot immediately drop off of it again. There is a period of time in which pressing backwards will do nothing. A common mistake is to press backwards too early, and then press up+B, resulting in doing DK's ledge get-up attack. This also explains why the Infinite's timing should be practiced, so you do not wait too long and risk creating an opening in your invincibility.
Obviously you can use this stall as a stalling technique, but equally important is its usefulness as an edgeguarding technique. When the opponent is coming from under the ledge or recovering low, hanging off of the ledge until the appropriate moment and then up+Bing can disrupt their recovery and possibly stage spike them. The Infinite can also be used to re-apply the invincibility frames from the ledge, so that you can successfully ledgehog your opponent.
When combined with the Cargo stagespiking and edgeguarding techniques, the stall can prove as a literally lethal weapon.
2) Spinning Kong to Grab the Ledge:
Remember how you can move forward from a grounded Spinning Kong? Well,
3) Spinning Kong from the Ledge:
a) General Stages
b) Battlefield
c)Yoshi's Story & Lylat Cruise
