The Art of Mastering Fox
by: Omni
*Note* I do appreciate comments, +reps, and suggestions. This guide is dedicated to helping Fox's so if you have an idea for a section in this guide and would like to be credited for it, let me know.
(Why isn't this stickyed yet? :embarrass )
v.4.5 - Edited 2/26/2007
- Added Ice Climbers in the character match-ups
v.4.4 - Edited 9/16/2006
- Added Captain Falcon in the character match-ups
v.4.3 - Edited 8/11/2006
- Added Peach in the character match-ups
v.4.2 - Edited 8/9/2006 (TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY)
- Added Marth in the character match-ups
- Added Sheik in the character match-ups
- CunningKitsune has been elected as a candidate for the Pro Tips section
v.4.1 - Edited 7/20/2006
- Realized I've been doing the versions all ********.
- Added the templates to the Character Match-Ups in Tier order.
- Added Falco and Fox (incomplete)
v.4 - Edited 7/18/2006
- Included Table of Contents
- Added Character Match-Ups
- Completed Character Match-Ups Introduction
v.3 - Edited 1/10/2006
- Added Lesson V of the Intermediate Fox section.
- Completed the Intermediate Fox section.
- Added Lessons I-III the the Advanced Fox
v.2 - Edited 12/8/2005
- Lessons I-IV of the Intermediate Fox section completed.
- Added a lesson to Advanced Fox
So you know what it takes to be a good Fox. But do you know HOW to do it? This guide's purpose is to turn a person who's never used Fox at all into a force to be wreckoned with. Or in most cases help those who already use Fox in order to use him more effectively.
A few points:
1.) The order of the lessons for the guide has been based on a difficulty system.
2.) I welcome any additional information from veteran Fox players.
3.) Feel free to leave comments, questions, and suggestions.
4.) If you don't like my guide, realize that I do NOT give a ****.
5.) The guide is incomplete. It will be finished on a timely basis.
6.) I have NOT included a list of common terminology. Review the Compedium of Knowledge in the Melee Discussion room if you're unaware of certain terms.
With that said, let's get down to business.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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-Beginner Fox-
Lesson 1 - Short Hopping
Lesson 2 - L-Cancelling & Fast Falling
Lesson 3 - (S)hort (H)op, (F)ast (F)all, (L)-(C)ancel (SHFFLC'ing)
Lesson 4 - L-Cancelling the Drill Kick
Lesson 5 - L-Cancelling into Shine
-Intermediate Fox-
Lesson 1 - Wavedashing
Lesson 2 - Waveshining
Lesson 3 - Chaingrabbing
Lesson 4 - Edgeguarding and Gimping
Lesson 5 - Getting Back onto the Stage
-Advanced Fox-
Lesson 1 - The Offensive Fox
Lesson 2 - The Defensive Fox
Lesson 3 - The Hybrid Fox
-Character Match-Ups-
VS. Fox (Completed)
VS. Falco (Completed)
VS. Sheik (Completed)
VS. Marth (Completed)
VS. Peach (Completed)
VS. Captain Falcon (Completed)
VS. Ice Climbers(Completed)
VS. Samus
VS. Doctor Mario
VS. Jigglypuff
VS. Mario
VS. Ganondorf
VS. Link
VS. Luigi
VS. Donkey Kong
VS. Roy
VS. Young Link
VS. Pikachu
VS. Yoshi
VS. Zelda
VS. Mr. Game and Watch
VS. Ness
VS. Bowser
VS. Kirby
VS. Pichu
VS. Mewtwo
BEGINNER FOX
Lesson I - Short Hopping
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Go to practice mode and literally short hop around the screen. Short hop at different lengths and at different speeds, but simply master this movement. It's REQUIRED. An effective way of doing this is pressing the X or Y button as fast as you can. The time it takes for you to release the X/Y button after pressing it determines if Fox does a full jump or a short jump. Pressing the X/Y button hard or softly has nothing to do with it.
After you're able to short hop vertically consistently, practice SH'ing horizantally at different lengths. If you SH and tilt the control stick left or right, you will cover a small jump distance. However, if you dash, and during the middle of the initiation of the dash sequence JUMP, you'll cover a much larger, favorable distance. Practice.
Goal : Short hop in any direction at any (restrained) distance without effort.
Lesson II - L-Cancelling and Fast Falling
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Go into any mode and practice L-cancelling all of Fox's aerials INCLUDING his neutral-a. Also, be sure to Fast Fall your attacks to limit the amount of time you spend in the air. A basic example is to simply jump into the air, fast fall with a neutral-a, and then l-cancel it.
Goal: L-Cancel fast fallen aerials without effort.
*Note:* If you're not sure if you're L-Cancelling correctly, simply press A IMMEDIATELY after landing an attempted l-cancel attack. If the jab doesn't come out, you're either pressing A way too fast, or you didn't L-cancel. A more noticable difference is to shine immediately after any L-Cancelled move. If you're able to shine IMMEDIATELY after the aerial, you'll notice that your opponent had no opportunity to retaliate.
Lesson III - (S)hort (H)op, (F)ast (F)all, (L)-(C)ancel (SHFFLC'ing)
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Fox's bread and butter. You want to apply what you learned from Lesson I and Lesson II and combine them. This may take a week or so to truly master unless you have above average finger dexterity. The procedure here is doing a short hop, an aerial attack, fast falling, and then L-Cancelling. In the beginning, you may omit the fast falling procedure IF YOU CHOOSE, but eventually you want to be able to combine all the elements above.
Goal: SHFFLC'ing around the screen without stopping and maintaining the same speed without effort.
*NOTE:* The timing to SHFFLC'ing is different when a character attacks air as opposed to an opponent. You'll notice the timing is CONSIDERABLY different with Fox's Drill Kick (D-AIR) because he hits his opponent several times before landing, keeping him in the air longer than usual. Because of this, I suggest for this lesson, OMIT FOX'S DRILL KICK. Why?
Lesson IV - L-Cancelling the Drill Kick
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Because it's a lesson in itself! However, once you master this lesson, I guarantee you that L-Cancelling with ANY character will be a piece of cake. Notice that I didn't include short hopping in this lesson. This is because I believe that is a more advanced technique that should be practiced later. The problem with the Drill Kick is that the rate at which you leave the ground, attack, and land changes constantly according to how much of the Drill Kick actually hits your opponent. Also, the amout of time it takes for a completely vertical drill kick (a drill kick coming directly above the opponent), and a completely horizantal drill kick (a drill kick coming directly across from the opponent) is substantial.
So here's what you need to understand in order to master this technique: Press L when Fox's feet hits the ground. WTF? Sounds simple enough. That's what people normally do when they L-Cancel, right? Yes AND no. With most of Fox's attacks, you can predict easily when you touch the ground and L-Cancel accordingly to the point where you can SHFFLC without looking. The reason most people can't L-Cancel Fox's Drill Kick well is because they press L while he's still doing the move! With the Drill Kick, you're going to have to focus less on the timing of a series of button presses, and focus more on Fox's landing.
If you understood the above paragraph, here's how you master the move: I like practicing on an opponent who's not moving so I suggest either practice mode or VS mode with a controller in the 2nd player port (making the character stand still). That stage with the UFO on it has a wall so place the idle character against the wall so they don't move. FIRST, practice the vertical drill kick. Stand right next to your opponent, hop into the air (you DON'T have to short hop), then fast fall and drill kick all at once. Pay attention to when Fox actually hits the ground L-Cancel accordingly. Then switch to short hopping. Repeat until you're comfortable.
JUST PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
Goal: L-Cancelling Fox's Drill Kick effortlessly.
Lesson V - L-Cancelling into Shine
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My favorite part of the lesson. If you can master Lesson's I-V, you'll have a solid Fox. Lessons I-IV is pointless if your opponent simply shieldgrabs it. Also, applying Fox's shine after a completed SHFFLC'ing leads into countless amount of opportunities to attack again! (Now you see why Fox is top tier.) The shine provides a safe escape route and/or another opportunity to deal some damage. Don't forget that there are other options out of the SHFFLC'ing such as grabbing, sidestepping, etc. If you don't mix your options together, you'll become predictable.
Now pay attention. This is extremely complicated. You ready?
After a SHFFLC'ing aerial... shine. ...That's it. In case you're unaware, Fox's shine can be canceled with a jump (known as Jump-Cancelling). That's a GOOD thing. You'll find out why later.
Goal: Performing a successful shine after an L-Cancelled aerial.
INTERMEDIATE FOX
Lesson I - Wavedashing
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You're probably wondering why we're just now getting to the wavedash. My reasoning is simple really. You see, a lot of newbies want to master this very sexy technique, but they have no idea how to use it. Do you know how many newbies I see wavedashing across the screen right into my fist? Wavedashing is a fairly easy technique, but it's been placed in the Intermediate section simply because only Intermediate Fox's will be able to exploit the spoils of this move. What's a good example? Let's say running the United States is wavedashing. That makes George Bush Fox. In this case, Fox is a noob because he's been given the power to wavedash, but he fails to use it correctly. GREAT! Moving on.
Fox has a great wavedash. It's fast and covers a decent length. Because the amout of frames it takes for Fox to leave the ground after the initial input of pressing the jump button is so small, Fox responds to the input almost instantly. This means as soon as you jump, you're literally air-dodging backwards RIGHT after you jumped. Because wavedashing is a universal technique, I'll just explain how you know you're successfully doing it with Fox.
When Fox air-dodges, he makes this "OH TA!" sound with it. When you first start wavedashing, you'll probably hear him saying "OH TA!" alot. This will occur either because you didn't air-dodge fast enough after the initial jump OR the angle of the analog stick isn't slanted downard enough. You know you've wavedashed correctly if Fox slides backwards without making any sound. Go into practice mode and practice.
Goal: Wavedashing instinctively in any direction on command.
Lesson II - Waveshining
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Waveshining is essential to higher levels of play with Fox. If you recall in the Beginner section, we ended with Shining. Since I assume you already know what Waveshining is, I won't go into what it looks like, but I will explain its uses for a brief moment.
Waveshining enables Fox to "chase" after his opponent after a successful shine hit. His wavedash is long enough to be in smash range with some characters (Link, Shiek) melee range with others (Marth), and no range at all with a small few (Luigi). The reason why this technique is outstanding is because it allows a free hit/grab. I can't stress enough the importance of a free hit/grab because Fox has the capability to turn the tide with one. I'll leave the options after a waveshine for you to discover but some popular ones are waveshine ---> upsmash and waveshine --> grab --> upthrow --> up-air.
Mastering the waveshine is no walk in the park. You're probably not going to be able to do it consistently for a while. Even if you're able to execute it once, you'll most likely won't be able to follow up with another waveshine right after. This technique requires that you move your fingers very fast and accurately and in my opinion, this technique seperates a decent Fox from a good Fox. To start go into Practice mode and choose Link as your opponent and FD as your practice stage. "Push" him to the edge of stage and leave enough room for you to stand behind him.
What you want to do now is understand that a waveshine is a SHINE + A WAVEDASH. Understand that you are simply doing a wavedash after you have done a shine. Once you understand what it is you're doing, try attempting one waveshine. If you failed, DON'T WORRY. You can wavedash anytime during your shine so in the beginning of your training, concentrate on accuracy and not speed. Eventually after you get the mechanics down, speed up. Also note that when you shine Link and wavedash afterwards, you SHOULD be in shine range again without moving. If you're not, you're not wavedashing properly.
If you can waveshine and get into Link's range, then you're halfway there. Gradually decrease the time between the shine and the wavedash. You'll know you've done it perfectly if you waveshine Link, quickly up-smash, and the status bar on the top left of the screen says you've done a 2-hit combo. Once you've mastered this step, *legally* you're allowed to stop. You've technically learned enough about the waveshine to use it effectively, but if you want to truly master it, then practice waveshing into another waveshine. You can do this with no retaliation from certain opponents across the entire screen.
Goal: Waveshing quickly and accurately enough to gain access to a free hit/grab without retaliation on command.
Lesson III - Chaingrabbing
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This will be a short lesson in general because Fox can only chaingrab a small select few. Amont that group, however, there exists two high tier characters: Falco and Fox. Yes, Fox can chaingrab himself. The reason why this technique is in particular useful for Fox because you can start at 0%.
Go into VS. mode and have your opponent be a LVL 1 Fox (practice mode won't do because your opponent won't DI). Grab him and do an up-throw. There are usually three options from there on (correct me if I'm wrong):
1.) Fox flies straight up and down. In order to grab him again, simply time another grab before he hits the ground without moving at all.
2.) Fox sails toward the right. If he's at a low percentage, you should be able grab him again without moving. However at a higher percentage, Fox will be able to DI far enough to the right to escape your stationary grab attempt. In this case, dash forward and perform a jump-cancelled grab while he's still in mid-air.
3.) Fox sails to the left. If he's at a low percentage, you should be able to grab him simply by quickly changing directions and performing another grab. Practice tilting the control stick to the left enough for Fox to change directions, but not too hard that you cause him to move. If the opponent is at a higher percentage, Fox will be able to DI far enough to the left to escap your stationary grab attempt. In this case, dash to the left and perform a jump-cancelled grab while he's still in mid-air.
And that's all there is to it. After a while, your opponent can escape the chaingrabbing. Instead of letting them escape, hit them with a nice up-smash or something similiar to finish off the beating.
Goal: Chaingrabbing an opponent without retaliation until they are capable of escaping.
Lesson IV - Edgeguarding and Gimping
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There is no set rule for edgeguarding, but there is a strategy: keep your opponent off the ledge. The reason why this has been placed in the Intermediate section is because being a great edgeguarder seperates a beginner from a novice. You can kill your opponent at 0% if you edgeguard well enough.
Fox in particular is an outstanding edgeguarder not because of his moves (except one), but because of his speed. He can quickly chase after an opponent who attempts to sail over his head and quickly grab the ledge when an opponent is attempting to grab the ledge. But what makes Fox such a scary edgeguarder is his shine. If you're able to shine a person while they're attempting to recover, 9 times out of 10 they're finished. The time it takes to recover from a shine's stun lasts entirely too long. Since there are many ways of edgeguarding with Fox, I'm going to focus on two specific moves: Shine and B-air.
Edgeguarding with a shine is pretty much self-explanatory. But it's not always easy. The most basic way to edgeguard with a shine is to jump after the character until you're touching them, perform a shine, and then double jump back onto the arena performing an up+b or a forward+b if necessary. This will work on lower leveled players and sometimes on higher leveled players if they get careless. Against a higher skilled player, this isn't technique isn't suggested because the opponent and take advantage of Fox's fall speed. Using Marth as an example, if you attempt to jump off the stage to shine him, he could retort with an f-air. Worst case scenerio: you hit the side of the stage, don't tech, and get edgeguarded yourself. Therefore only use this technique when you're feeling brave and/or dumb.
There is also another, more safer, way to shine. As you know, grabbing the ledge allows your characters to be invulnerable for a small period of time. Using the invulneribility to your advantage, let's say you know Marth is going to perform his up-air to grab the ledge. Grab the ledge first, but make sure you time it so that when Marth performs his up-air, you're invincible. Quickly let go of the ledge by tapping left or down and shine. If you did it right, Marth should be finished, and all that's left is for you to get back on the stage (or grab the ledge again).
If you've been paying attention, you'll have realized that shining as an edgeguard can be done to any opponent at any percentage. If you're able to get your opponent off the ledge at very low percentages, it is possible to gain a quick, easy kill with the shine. Killing someone with the shine at a low percentage is called gimping. It's a legitimate strategy, but you will be known as "gay".
Finally off the topic of shining, we look at Fox's b-air. This move is fast, has nice priority, and has a decent knockback to it at mid ranged percentages. A nice technique to use is to grab the ledge while your opponent is recovering, drop from the ledge (depending on their level of elevation), then double-jump towards them with a b-air. If you're attacking an opponent that's below the stage, you'll usually have to up+b back onto the stage. If they're at stage floor level, it's possible to double jump and perform the b-air and land on the stage. Finally, if they're at a slightly more higher level, you can jump backwards off the ledge and perfrom the b-air at the same time, then quickly grab the ledge again.
There's other stuff you can do to like interuptting opponents with a Drill Kick, but I won't get into that. Just remember that the key to being a good Fox (or any character) is to ledgeguard properly and effectively.
Goal: Uh... edgeguard well. ...yeah.
Lesson V - Getting Back on the Stage
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There's a good side and a bad side to Fox's recovery. The good side is that he has two forms of recovery with two different speeds and lengths. The bad side is that his recovery is linear, meaning he moves in a straight line toward his destination. But then that's kinda good because it's easier to grab the ledge if you can position yourself on the imaginary line leading to the ledge. But then that's kinda bad because... you get the point.
But overall, Fox has a decent enough recovery to keep himself in the game after being knocked off the stage. The key to getting back on the stage is NOT BEING REPETITIVE. Recovering in the same manner over and over again will help your opponent find a weakness. You don't want that to happen so in order to prevent that, mix things up. Your goal is to sweetspot the ledge in most cases, but if they're edgehogging, your goal is to land on the stage without getting knocked back off. This part of the lesson is going to take a lot of hands on experience in order to be well at, I'll explain a tactic with the Firefox that enables a better chance at sweetspotting.
On stages like FD, Fox can FireFox into the side of the stage and gradually "climb" to the ledge. The purpose of this technique is to either sweetspot the edge, or land on the stage with as little air-time as possible since after Fox's FireFox, he becomes vulnerable in mid-air. To practice this technique, just jump off the stage and position yourself somewhere random beneath the ledge. Use Fox's Firefox and point the analog stick diagnally toward the stage. If you did it right, at the end of Fox's Firefox, he should grab the ledge. If you did it semi-right, Fox will land on the stage but will be very close to the ledge. If you did it wrong, you'll die. Practice getting to know Fox's options to recovery wherever he may be off the ledge.
Goal: Effectively getting back onto the stage using a wide variety of mix-ups.
If you've made it this far, cool beans. This section teaches the Fox user how to effectively use all the moves explained above. There will be NO goals. Knowing what you know now, you could move on from this section and with some creativity and an open mind, develop strategies on how to conquer using Fox. But if you're too lazy to do that, read on.
ADVANCED FOX
Lesson I - The Offensive Fox
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Alright you lazy ***. First we're going to take a glance at the offensive Fox. The offensive Fox is scary because he's constantly applying pressure to the opponent keeping chances to retaliate to a bare minimum. He's hardly ever stationary, nimble, and most importantly, cancels all his shielded aerials into a shine, which THEN should be canceled with a jump/wavedash/grab, etc. Pressure, pressure, pressure is the key. But there are ways of going about applying pressure. Running back and forth around your opponent with your dash-attack is not one of them.
First, here's what you're not going to do.
1.) You're not going to spam your lasers.
2.) You're not going to give your opponent much breathing room, especially slow characters.
3.) You're not going to shield often; only when necessary.
Here's what you're going to be doing.
1.) Well executed shfflc'ed aerials....
2.) ...That are nearly ALWAYS followed by a shine (unless the impact of a landed aerial allows for a combo).
3.) A large amount of JC grabs.
Your goal is to become controlled chaos. First, realize that when your opponent blocks a shfflc'ed aerial, their first instinct is usually to shieldgrab. There's a good chance that your opponent will undermind your shfflc'ing abilities and attempt to shieldgrab you in hope that you'll miss your L-Cancel ---> Shine. This is why nearly the entire Beginner's level is spent trying to master this technique. If you keep shining an opponent that attempts to shieldgrab you, they'll get the picture, but what they don't realize is that they're falling into a trap.
Instead of shieldgrabbing, your opponent most likely will instead keep their shields up. That's a GOOD thing. Why? Because now they're more open to getting grabbed. Here's a tactic I use often when I'm being offensive with Fox: aftering shfflc'ing into a shine against an opponent who's blocking, I waveshine toward the opponent (placing me behind them), turn, and grab. The reason why I get behind the opponent is because it throws their game off when you abruptly "swap sides" plus you're able to escape almost any attack thrown in that direction. Also, Fox is so fast, he's able to accomplish this tactic to the point where most opponents won't realize what happened until you're up-air'ing them to Heaven.
Which brings me to my next point. The offensive Fox is all about controlling your opponent. Ooooo, talk about mind games. You want your opponent to fall into forced habits like shielding too much, or not shielding enough. Picking up on these habits aren't too hard if you observe your opponents reactions. If they roll and shield alot, they're playing defensive leaving them more open to grabs. If they don't shield often and attack constantly (kinda like you), they're more open to your shfflc'ed aerials, shines, and smashes (preferable up-smash). A good opponent never falls into a single pattern unless they realize you fall for a shieldgrab 9/10 of the times. Being able to read your opponent fast and accurately is key to an offensive Fox.
Going up against a defensive player allows you to control their movements better, but going up against an offensive player means both of you are fighting equally for that control. In this case, whoever's offense is stronger has the control, and so... you want a strong offense. However, Fox has to play a little different against a more offensive opponent. Instead of waiting to retaliate, they usually attempt to attack before you can start your barrage of sex kicks and shines. Perfectly fine; the offensive Fox simply needs to alter their strategy a little.
Because this Fox is COMPLETELY offensive, I won't go much into defensive strategies against an offensive opponent. Instead, I'll let you read The Defensive Fox, put 2 and 2 together, and come up with a well-balanced hybrid Fox. Your goal here is to interupt your opponent's attack in an attempt to take back control. Because of Fox's speed, this is very possible, but it requires a knowledge of what moves work best against certain opponents. Most slower characters are open to drill-kicks. Against faster characters, you usually want to use Fox's sex-kick since it has more range than the drill-kick.
Ultimately, this Fox will be challenging to master and challenging to defeat. Just always keep in mind that you have to apply pressure and manipulate your opponent while never falling into your own pattern which could enable your opponent to perceive your next move. Good luck.
Lesson II - The Defensive Fox
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The defensive Fox is annoying as hell. He spams lasers, keeps out of melee range, chases techs, and exploiting every opportunity, punishes accordingly. This Fox is more deceptive than the offensive Fox and has more depth into its strategy. They usually play in a more safe manner and instead of relying on their own performance, they work off their opponent. Ultimately, the defensive Fox creates misdirection in order to have their opponent make a mistake.
A Fox that constantly lasers his opponent every safe chance he can become annoying. A more annoyed opponent. is more likely to make a mistake than a more calm opponent. So use Fox's laser, but don't rely on it. It's only a small part of a larger whole. The laser's main purpose is to cause your opponent to come to you. For the most part, defensive players play defensively because their offense isn't that well. A defensive Fox against a defensive players forces them to go on the offense. This is the best way to discover your opponent's level of play. A lower-level opponent will whiff constantly, fail to L-Cancel, and smash uncontrollably. This requires a lot less thinking on the Fox's part; simply punish his mistakes with grabs/up-smashes/shfflc'ed aerials. But because you're being defensive, remember to create a gap out of melee range after punishing your opponent if they're in a better position to retaliate.
A mid-level opponent is just an upgrade of the low-level. More mindgames are involved here because your opponent may not make too many mistakes... that is without your help. Basic mid-direction can used here in order to confuse or trick your opponent thinking they have an opportunity to get you. A simple tactic is to dash forward into range, then quickly dash back. You'll be amazed at how many Marth's f-smash instinctively. Lol, noobs. Anyway... once they've fallen into your trap, turn around and punish accordingly. At higher %'s, go for the smash kill. At lower %'s, combo effectively in an attempt to do as much damage as possible without reprecussion. Then it's back to square one.
A high-level opponent is very different. To be honest, it's hard to put in words how to defeat them because their mindgames are above average. Most of them will instantly pick up on the fact that you're a defensive Fox. Seeing that, they use reverse psychology. Stay with me here: You're going to try to make your opponent make a mistake. Your high-level opponent here knows you're going to try to make your opponent make a mistake. Knowing this, a smart opponent will put themselves in seemingly vulnerable situations (which is suppose to be your job) in order to bait you to come punish them like the good little defensive Fox you are.
THEN YOU GET OWNED AND YOU'RE LIKE WTF!!?!?! MIND GAAAAMES!!!
So for a higher-level opponent, stick to the same tactics you used with the mid-level opponent. But in this case, you're going to have to be much more cautious. A tricky (but dangerous) stunt to do is to act like you're creating a diversion for your opponent to fall into. For example, dashing forward into melee range. Because your opponent has recognized you're a defensive Fox, they'll most likely won't expect a DROP KICK to the face so deliver one. This however goes against the laws of a defensive Fox since this now becomes an offensive Fox, but this brings me to a very important point.
Lesson III - The Hybrid Fox
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Sometimes you can get away with just being the offensive Fox. Sometimes you can get away with just being the defensive Fox. But the lessons above are not there to teach you one style of play to use throughout the rest of your Fox career, but instead ways to alter your playing style to create the ultimate Fox: The Hybrid Fox.
I won't dive too much into the hybrid Fox because he's self-explanatory. You combine the defensive Fox with the offensive Fox into your gameplay, allowing you to turn offensive when you need to, and play defensively when you need to. There are times when you need to be on the offensive (spawning, edgeguarding, or when your opponent is at a high percentage), and there are times when you need to be defensive (your opponent is spawning, you're at a low %, etc.). Playing as this Fox will help you develop much better mindgames which becomes, in my opinion, the key to winning at higher-levels of play.
So practice combining the defensive and offensive Fox together to make yourself a force to be wreckoned with.
CHARACTER MATCH-UPS
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." - Sun Tzu, Art of War
If you've read up to this section, you have completed your journey of knowing yourself, but knowing yourself is only half the battle. If an ant knows the extent of its potential, does that mean he can gain victory over an Anteater? Of course not. That was a bad metaphor, but you get the point.
"To know your enemy, you must become your enemy. " - Sun Tzu, Art of War
Applying what we've learned, we will now study Fox's match-ups with each character in the game. I will discuss advantages, disadvantages, tactics, and other factors that will make you more knowledgable on how to exploit your foe's weakness. Importantly, we will take a very detailed look into the eyes of each foe and realize what their tactic against Fox most likely will be. That way, unless a new tactic has been thought up, you will know exactly what you're up against.
VS. Falco
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Advantages:
- Fox can chaingrab.
- Fox can kill at % percents fairly easy with shine.
- Fox edgeguard Falco fairly well.
- Fox can combo Falco fairly well.
- Fox is faster.
- Fox can recover better than Falco.
Disadvantages:
- Falco can combo Fox very easy at any percent.
- Falco can CC --> Shine plenty of Fox's aerials.
- Falco can edgeguard Fox fairly well.
- Falco's lasers interupt Fox.
The Problem:
This is not a fun match. Let's assume the Falco is highly skilled since lower skilled Falco's aren't nearly as intimidating. Playing a Falco forces Fox to change the way he normally faces characters. SHFFLC'ed attacks can now be CC ---> Shined which means Fox can't throw them out randomly. Also, Fox's shine knocks Falco on the ground destroying any chance of a combo and only leaving the tech chase game available.
Another problem is that Fox has to play more defensively than normal. Falco IS the best offensive character in the game due to his ability to put pressure on his opponents with lasers and shfflc'ed aerials into shines. If you fall into a Falco's shine, you could find yourself being thrown helplessly into the air until eventually the momentum of Fox's trajectory takes you well above Falco's combo range, or you're flying off the stage trying to figure out a way to not get hit by his drill kick. What's a Fox to do!?
The Solution:
Uh... I'll tell you later.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Fox
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Advantages:
- Fox can chaingrab.
- Fox can combo Fox fairly easy.
- Fox can edgeguard Fox fairly well.
- Being Fox, you know what to expect from a Fox.
Disadvantages:
- Fox can chaingrab.
- Fox can combo Fox fairly easy.
- Fox can edgeguard Fox fairly well.
- Being Fox, he know what to expect from a Fox.
The Problem:
You ever play Zelda: Ocarina of Time? Well, if you did, there was a trial Link had to go through where he had to face himself. I mean, literally, himself. It was a Link that new the same moves and sometimes the same tactics as yourself, except he was all black. In order to beat him, I cheated and used a hammer (he couldn't pull out a hammer) and smashed him to death. If you had to play yourself, I guarantee you it won't be as easy as it sounds.
Because you both share the same strengths and weaknesses, this match is decided to the Fox who:
1.) Can use Fox the most effectively.
2.) Can fight against Fox the most effectively.
3.) Has the best mindgames.
The Solution:
Know what to expect, and counter it. The best way to fight Fox is to play off their mistakes; just like a game of chess. You have to play SMARTER. If he's an offensive Fox, look for gaps in his defense and strike when you see an opening. For example, if he likes to SHFFLC across the screen like a raging lunatic, concentrate on your spacing and let him fall into the ****. A simple well-placed and well-spaced wavedash can cause your opponent to jump right into a grab, which can be followed into chainthrowing, up-tilts, or an up-smash.
If he's a defensive Fox, trick him by making him believe he has an opportunity to strike. For example, a very good tactic is to jump in front of Fox and pretend you're going to land grab range right in front of him (he'll most likely shield). Instead of landing on the spot, waveland backwards. 9/10, your opponent will fall for this simple yet deceptive move and he'll be open for punishment. Experiment, and have fun improving your Fox based on other people's Fox's.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Sheik
----------
Advantages:
- Fox can combo Sheik decently.
- Fox can waveshine combo Sheik.
- Fox edgeguards Sheik very well.
- Fox can manuever slightly better than Sheik.
Disadvantages:
- Sheik edgeguards Fox very well.
- Sheik's tilts are fast and work well against Fox.
- Sheik's needles hurt Fox's recovery badly.
- Sheik's aerials have longer range.
The Problem:
Well, it's Sheik. She's quick, powerful, has a very useful projectile, and her moveset enables her to do well against nearly anyone in the game including Fox. She can adapt to Fox's speed and in some cases match it. Catching her off guard is difficult as well because the majority of her moves come out fast with very little lag. Her wavedash is very good for letting mindless, shfflc'ing Fox's to n-air into a grab or worse, and her roll is quick covering a decent length giving her a point for evasiveness.
Moveset and tactic-wise, Sheik has a number of things she can do to Fox. D-throw into tech-chase into d-smash is a common tactic. At mid %, she can easily rack up damage with almost any combination of tilts unless the Fox CC's them. Ultimately, all these tactics are focused on pushing Fox off the stage because Sheik edgeguards Fox very well. Her b-air is deceptively longer than it looks and can reach out to most incoming Fox's. Her needle can interupt Fox's phantasm and his firefox causing him to drop fast very suddenly. You get the point.
The Solution:
As ugly as it sounds, it's really not that bad. I thoroughly enjoy this match-up because Sheik is slow enough to not be able to out manuever Fox, but she's quick enough to leave herself open unexpectantly, if that makes sense. Basically what I mean is that because this is a fast-paced battle, very small gaps of opportunity present themselves at a very high rate; the goal is to see when they're coming and exploit them. You can either create your own opporunity, or allow your opponent to create their own.
To create your own opportunity against Shiek, play it smart. You should always play it smart, but you should be on your toes when you're up against a powerhouse like Sheik. Up-throw to up-air is VERY effective against Sheik. Also, if you're very good at shfflc'ing and your opponent likes to test your abilities, you can get plenty of shines in which should almost always lead to a hard hitting move. When you feel Sheik is about to tilt you, CC into a grab or a waveshine combo if you're close enough. At lower %'s, if you land a shfflc'ed n-air on a Sheik, you can usually follow up with an up-tilt and begin the juggling process there. There possibilities are endless.
To allow your opponent to create an opportunity for yourself, pay attention to spacing. Watch their patterns. Do they dash attack a lot? Shieldgrab, up-smash out of shield, jump, w/e. Dash attack is easy to punish, but hard to see coming. If you expect it, it'll be easier to evade and counter, but don't concentrate too hard on it. It's important to know what moves are available for Shiek or any character to use on Fox pending on spacing. Does your opponent link f-airs mindlessly? Probably since most Sheik's do. There are a few ways to approach this. You can dash dance in and out of their range and attempt to grab them when they land, but that usually doesn't work because a good Sheik will follow up with jab to stop you. ...But wait, if you know they're going to try to stop from being grabbed with a jab, then how can you punish a jab? Be slick and wait for her to jab, or get in jab range on person and CC it into a grab. If your opponent is wreckless, you can intercept a f-air linking Sheik if you come from beneath her.
Finally, you want to be sure to destroy her when she attempts to recover. Sheik's always want to grab the ledge because landing on the stage after an up+b leaves her vulnerable for a long time. I'll keep it simple. If they're going to land on the stage, just hit forward to get up from the ledge and up-smash (knock them back off the stage if they're not in killing percentages). If they're going for the ledge, stall. Fox's firefox stall almost always forces Shiek to land on the stage, but if you think they're trying to grab the ledge, well... just roll. That's about it.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Marth
----------
Advantages:
- Up-throw to up-air works wonders
- Fox can kill Marth vertically at low %'s
- Fox can edeguard Marth well
Disadvantages:
- Marth can chaingrab Fox (0-death)
- Marth can juggle Fox fairly easy
- Marth can edgeguard Fox very well
- Marth has excellent manueveribility
- Marth has a dangerous tech-chase game
The Problem:
The range, the grab, the quickness, and the up-tilt. Yes, the up-tilt is to be feared more than Marth's infamous f-smash with this match-up. A good Marth uses the f-smash sparingly against Fox because they recognize that air combos and tilts are much more safer from the lag punishing Fox. By spamming tilts rather than f-smashes, Marth can keep Fox from invading his personal bubble, however if a Fox manages to reach that bubble they're now in perfect range for a nice grab.
If you noticed the disadvantages, you would have seen this very important point: "Marth can chaingrab Fox (0-death)". For those of you still confused, this is a BIG problem. On stages without platforms, Marth can up-throw to up-throw or up-throw to up-tilt to another up-throw or up-tilt from 0% until he's ready to finish you. In most cases, when you get grabbed by Marth, you are not pronounced dead simply because of the human tendacy to make a mistake. However, a good Marth will definitely stack up a large % to your stock and/or will knock you off the stage far enough for you to have little to no chance to recovering.
Speaking of edgeguarding, Marth is, if not the top, one of the most feared edgeguarders in the game. His basic edgeguarding game consist of the piercing d-tilt, neutral a, the f-smash, and his neutral b (hopefully uncharged). More advance edgeguarding involves Marth edgehogging into b-airs, counters, whatever. The fact that Fox's recovery travels in a straight line doesn't help either. For those of you who aren't good at sweetspotting, you'll probably attempt to sail over his head and just pray you land somewhere on the middle of the screen. That's not always a bad idea; sometimes it's the only option besides death, but you're now wide open to whatever wrath Marth has planned for you since he moves quickly enough to punish characters at long distances.
Speaking of moving quickly, Marth... moves quickly. Not only does he move quickly, but his movement is somewhat unorthodox because of his exceptionally well dash. When Marth enters his dash animation, he covers a long distance, but he can dash out of his dash either immediately or delayed (which is more dangerous than it sounds). His ability to move quickly allows him to match Fox's speed, but more importantly negate one of the aspects of Fox that makes him so overwhelming. Basically, he literally dash circles around his opponents giving him many opportunities to grab.
The Solution:
Despite the fact that I just described Marth as an unbeatable foe, Fox can still handle his own. It's been said that Fox actually counters Marth entirely, but I disagree with that statement entirely. Both opponents can do some really gay things against each other so let's discuss what it is Fox can do.
Up-throw to up-air into up-air into up-air into vertical laser spam. If you don't get anything out of this guide, please get this tactic nailed into your head. Now you can't always get 3 up-air's in a row (although it's very possible), an up-air is guaranteed after Fox up-throws. This means at a certain percent, a grab by Fox is a guaranteed kill, but ONLY if you're quick enough to follow Marth into the air with an up-air and follow his DI (if they DI). The same rule generally applies to nearly every character in the game except the real floaty one. At beginning to novice level play, this is the only thing Fox needs to do to beat a Marth. Note that you have to be smart enough to find a way to grab him; I can't teach mindgames.
Remember that BIG problem we have with Marth with the chaingrabbing? Well, the easiest solution is to sway away from Final Destination when facing a Marth. Platforms are a gift and a curse in many situations, even in this match-up, but they do more good than bad for Fox. But let's say you had to face Marth on FD and you're being chaingrabbed. What do you do? Well, first, I'll tell you what you don't want to do:
1.) If you're near the ledge, don't try to DI off the stage. That's what Marth wants you to do so he can follow up into a cool-looking d-air or an effective f-smash.
2.) Don't NOT DI. This mean DI, but I wanted to stick with what you don't want to do. If you just sit patiently while he tosses you up and down, you decrease the chance of your opponent screwing up. However, there is an exception to not DI'ing is when Marth fails to implement the up-tilt variation or the pivot jc-grab. If you DI in the opposite direction Marth is facing causing Marth to turn his body around, you can sometimes shine Marth before he comes in for the next grab attempt if you don't DI at all. Cool, huh?
More times than none, Marth will mess up on his chaingrab and drop you right next to him putting you in the tech-chase game. The only thing I can say is mix it up. Don't always tech in spot; don't always tech-roll; don't always TECH. You'll be amazed how effective falling to the ground without teching and then standing straight up can be.
You should play Marth like you play any other character besides this. Force him to whiff, edgeguard by stalling and then coming back onto the stage with a kill move or knocking him back off the stage. One last unique thing you can do against Marth is roll against the side of the ledge while Marth is trying to recover and lightshield. When you lightshield, point the control stick down and to the direction of the ledge. If the Marth hits your shield and doesn't sweet spot, Fox will fall and grab the ledge before Marth comes down from the peak of his up+b.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Peach
----------
Advantages:
- Fox can kill vertically at early %
- Fox can waveshine combo
- Fox can manuever himself around Peach's projectiles
- Fox can u-throw --> u-air
Disadvantages:
- Peach can chaingrab Fox
- Peach is excellent against fast-fallers
- Peach can CC --> d-smash
- Peach can edgeguard Fox very well
- Peach isn't affected much by Fox's edgeguard
The Problem:
Peach is a tank with the ability to float. Depending on what kind of Peach you play, it could be a fast tank or a slow tank, but she's a tank nonetheless. Peach is capable of quickly stacking damage on Fox at early %'s and finishing him off just as quickly.
The first hurdle Fox's need to get over is Peach's d-smash. If you play a d-smashing Peach enough, you quickly break out of the habit of CC'ing around her. Even if you don't hold down, Fox fast falls enough to get hit 2 or 3 times at 0%, and if not properly tech'ed, more if she d-smashes again. A novice Peach will have an easier time against a novice Fox hands down. Also, when Fox is recovering from below stages, a d-smash is a devestating edgeguard since there's a high chance of Fox hitting the stage and falling to his doom in a mad stun.
The second hurdle is Peach's playstyle. She's completely different from any other character in the game. She doesn't shfflc; she float-cancels, er turn-ups are endless, she has both slow and fast aerials all with high priority, and basically everything Peach does is a set-up. You can't charge in at a Peach with wreckless shfflc's and sloppy aerials because Peach can reject a missed L-cancel immediately and harshly. However, you can't camp too well (depending on the stages) because she has an excellent projectile game going for her.
The Solution:
If you've read my entire guide, you should be ready to take on Peach. You USUALLY need a really good technical Fox to take on a Peach, but some "mindgame" Fox's may be able to take her on with u-throw --> u-air's or well timed u-smashes. But if you've got to Lesson II of the Intermediate Fox, facing Peach will be much easier.
I actually enjoy fighting Peach's; it's my favorite match-up as Fox. A well-trained Fox has a lot going for him against her. Remember, Peach is a tank, and a tank can't hit a target that's constantly moving and changing directions. Well, it can, but it's difficult. For those of you who are familiar with other match-ups, I like to compare this one with the Falcon vs. Marth match-up with Falcon being Fox and Marth being Peach.
Basically against Peach, don't hold down until you're experienced enough to know the proper/safe times to CC. Perfect your shfflc's and you'll find yourself shining Peach where at one time Peach would have d-smashed you. Note that at low %'s, Peach can CC most of Fox's shfflc'ed aerials. The best option at low %'s is to get the grab on Peach and stack up damage with his up-air. He completely ***** Peach coming from underneath her. Also, like any other character, never play a completely horizantal shfflc game. Full jump -> drillkick is GREAT against Peach and can be followed up into a grab, a shine, or an u-tilt.
But don't get too comfortable. The key to beating Peach is getting in and getting out. Hit and run. When you see an opening, take it and do as much damage possible and scram. Being too close to Peach increases the chances of Fox getting d-smashed or chaingrabbed. Another great tactic and a thing to remember when using Fox is that his n-air can be followed into an up-smash against certain character IF you follow the opponent's DI. This works well on Peach at low/mid%'s, but you usually only want to use this tactic if Peach is at a high enough % to be killed by the u-smash.
Lastly, coming onto the stage against Peach can suck really badly, but it's not hopeless. It takes practice and a lot of experience. From the side, you usually want to either forward+b immediately after leaving the stage toward Peach to catch her off guard or more preferably grab the ledge. If Peach is edgeguarding with a d-smash and you come from the side, you'll most likely be hit by her d-smash and sent back onto the stage which is not a bad tactic (a good Peach edgeguards with a more variety of moves). When recovering from below the stage from a charging d-smash Peach, be calm. Aim for the ledge and as soon as you get hit, you can quickly tech. If you successfully pulled this off, your usual best option is to forward+b back onto the stage or firefox. If you're in a position to sweetspot the ledge with an angled firefox, you'll most likely be able to catch it around the same time Peach is finished with her d-smash.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Captain Falcon
---------------------
Advantages:
- Fox can juggle Falcon very well
- Fox can edgeguard against Falcon very well
- Fox's shine is devestating toward Falcon
- Fox's aerial game out prioritizes Falcon's somewhat
Disadvantages:
- Falcon is the fastest character in the game
- Falcon has an excellent tech-chase game toward Fox
- Falcon can juggle Fox fairly well
The Problem:
Captain Falcon is a very sharp two-edged sword. Very good Falcon players have learned how to make the edge of the sword aimed at Fox much sharper while the edge of sword aimed at himself more blunt. His offensive game puts massive pressure on his opponent, but leaves himself more vulnerable. It's difficult understanding Falcon's exact range because he's able to close large gaps very quickly. This isn't much of a problem for Fox when he's standing, but if Fox happens to be thrown to the ground, the tech-chase game begins. If you've lost the tech-chase game, odds are you'll be sprawling off the screen in a blue shock caused by the infamous knee, even at low percents! And if a Falcon wants to play a defensive game, well-spaced n-airs are very effective, not to mention his WOP with his b-air.
The Solution:
Fox, being the top tier character he is, can hold his own versus Falcon very well. Two things you want to abuse against Falcon is Fox's n-air and his shine. A majority of Falcon's have this habit of dash-dancing in place (when they're out of range), and then like they're saying SURPRISE, lunge out Fox with a random aerial. It works on most opponents because Falcon dash-dancing IS scary. While he's dash-dancing he's basically saying, "I can hit you whenever I want in the blink of an eye.", but Fox doesn't have to take that. As as Fox, you don't want to give Falcon enough room to do that. You want to stay close because Falcon relies on his aerial game since his tilts, although good, aren't the best options for attacking Fox.
So against Falcon, you want to concentrate on spacing and timing. You want to always be able to throw out a fast and high priority move at any time to intercept a Falcon trying to SHFFLC into an aerial. Spam n-airs and up-tilts. At low %'s, Falcon can be juggled just like Falco or Fox so always follow up with as many u-air chains as possible. Don't concentrate on racking up a lot of damage on Falcon before killing him; pay attention to the stage. If you knock Falcon off the stage, you have a very, very good chance of keeping him off. Almost ALWAYS grab the ledge. If you're ledgehogging, Falcon has to land on the stage and deal with the afterlag of his up+b. If he's at a high %, let him land, get up by pressing forward and up-smash. If he's at low %, edgeguard with b-airs from ledgegrab, and if he's coming from under the stage, always keep in mind how you can use your invincibility frames to work in a shine; it's not very difficult to shine Falcon so play around with it.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Ice Climbers
-------------------
Advantages:
- Fox can manuever himself around IC's fairly easily with platforms
- Fox's shine is effective against IC's low trajectory
- Fox can split Nana and Po effectively
Disadvantages:
- IC's can chaingrab Fox to deal massive damage
- IC's can kill after a successful grab (as with any other character)
- IC's have a complex and overall better groundgame then Fox
- IC's can be hard to read due to their swiftness and irratic movements
The Problem:
The problem is that Fox is the kind of character that tries to get inside of his opponent with his speed, do as much damage as possible, and then clear the area or whatever; against the IC's, you do NOT want to be "inside" them because having two character's instead of one make fighting IC's in close-range proximity dangerous... when they're together. The majority of IC's attack have perfect knockback and stun frames against Fox. For example, IC's dash attack leaves Fox open for an indefinite amount of moves, d-smash's knockback sends you well off the stage or usually onto the floor where you'll have to face IC's deadly tech-chase game, and other moves such as their u-air, neutral a, f-tilt, and u-tilt almost always put Fox in an uncomfortable situation.
Considering Fox's above par mobility and speed with IC's superior wavedash game, they are both close in terms of manuevering. IC's can keep up with Fox's speed without much difficulty. Spamming is dangerous and somewhat pointless when Nana and Po are distributing 2% lasers, and you're usually making yourself vulnerable (or not making a more effective move). Get grabbed and you're screwed. Shoot.. make any mistake and you're screwed.
The Solution:
Overall, Fox can do very well against IC's. Just like Falcon, IC's are a double-edged sword, however the edges are much more distinct: 2 IC's = bad; 1 IC = good (for Fox that is). Anybody knows that with any character, you have two missions.
1.) Seperate Popo and Nana. Preferably in opposite directions, but getting Nana far enough to have to "catch up" with Popo's movements is good as well.
2.) KILL NANA!
Then the rest is up to how well you can handle a single IC, which can possibly be classified as a low to mid tier character. This strategy isn't as straight-forward as it looks; it never is. There may be times you could have killed Popo when you tried to take advantage of Nana. Ultimately, Nana is Popo's partner and decoy. It is NOT an even trade attacking Nana and then receiving damage from Popo. Pick and choose who to attack in a manner that it doesn't become predictable. One thing to remember is that Nana never techs after being hit; this means if you see Nana tumbling onto the ground, you're guaranteed a free hit after she lands.
Against IC's, your best bet is to pick a stage that has platforms (or ban FD). Fox for the most part needs platforms in order to get close without being in the red zone. Also, Popo and Nana sometimes seperate themselves because of platforms. Play patient and try to get off as many shines as possible since a single shine can slide an IC almost halfway the distance of FD. If you manage to shine both of the IC's off the stage, apply pressure and attempt to gimp either of the two.
This is definitely one of Fox's toughest match-ups in the game. Be patient and careful, and you may stand a chance.
VS. Samus
------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Doctor Mario
-------------------
Advantages:
-
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Jigglypuff
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Mario
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Ganondorf
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Link
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Luigi
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Donkey Kong
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Roy
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Young Link
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Pikachu
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Yoshi
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Zelda
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Mr. Game & Watch
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Ness
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Bowser
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Kirby
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Pichu
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Mewtwo
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
MORE TO COME: CHARACTER MATCHUPS
by: Omni
*Note* I do appreciate comments, +reps, and suggestions. This guide is dedicated to helping Fox's so if you have an idea for a section in this guide and would like to be credited for it, let me know.
(Why isn't this stickyed yet? :embarrass )
v.4.5 - Edited 2/26/2007
- Added Ice Climbers in the character match-ups
v.4.4 - Edited 9/16/2006
- Added Captain Falcon in the character match-ups
v.4.3 - Edited 8/11/2006
- Added Peach in the character match-ups
v.4.2 - Edited 8/9/2006 (TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY)
- Added Marth in the character match-ups
- Added Sheik in the character match-ups
- CunningKitsune has been elected as a candidate for the Pro Tips section
v.4.1 - Edited 7/20/2006
- Realized I've been doing the versions all ********.
- Added the templates to the Character Match-Ups in Tier order.
- Added Falco and Fox (incomplete)
v.4 - Edited 7/18/2006
- Included Table of Contents
- Added Character Match-Ups
- Completed Character Match-Ups Introduction
v.3 - Edited 1/10/2006
- Added Lesson V of the Intermediate Fox section.
- Completed the Intermediate Fox section.
- Added Lessons I-III the the Advanced Fox
v.2 - Edited 12/8/2005
- Lessons I-IV of the Intermediate Fox section completed.
- Added a lesson to Advanced Fox
So you know what it takes to be a good Fox. But do you know HOW to do it? This guide's purpose is to turn a person who's never used Fox at all into a force to be wreckoned with. Or in most cases help those who already use Fox in order to use him more effectively.
A few points:
1.) The order of the lessons for the guide has been based on a difficulty system.
2.) I welcome any additional information from veteran Fox players.
3.) Feel free to leave comments, questions, and suggestions.
4.) If you don't like my guide, realize that I do NOT give a ****.
5.) The guide is incomplete. It will be finished on a timely basis.
6.) I have NOT included a list of common terminology. Review the Compedium of Knowledge in the Melee Discussion room if you're unaware of certain terms.
With that said, let's get down to business.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------------
-Beginner Fox-
Lesson 1 - Short Hopping
Lesson 2 - L-Cancelling & Fast Falling
Lesson 3 - (S)hort (H)op, (F)ast (F)all, (L)-(C)ancel (SHFFLC'ing)
Lesson 4 - L-Cancelling the Drill Kick
Lesson 5 - L-Cancelling into Shine
-Intermediate Fox-
Lesson 1 - Wavedashing
Lesson 2 - Waveshining
Lesson 3 - Chaingrabbing
Lesson 4 - Edgeguarding and Gimping
Lesson 5 - Getting Back onto the Stage
-Advanced Fox-
Lesson 1 - The Offensive Fox
Lesson 2 - The Defensive Fox
Lesson 3 - The Hybrid Fox
-Character Match-Ups-
VS. Fox (Completed)
VS. Falco (Completed)
VS. Sheik (Completed)
VS. Marth (Completed)
VS. Peach (Completed)
VS. Captain Falcon (Completed)
VS. Ice Climbers(Completed)
VS. Samus
VS. Doctor Mario
VS. Jigglypuff
VS. Mario
VS. Ganondorf
VS. Link
VS. Luigi
VS. Donkey Kong
VS. Roy
VS. Young Link
VS. Pikachu
VS. Yoshi
VS. Zelda
VS. Mr. Game and Watch
VS. Ness
VS. Bowser
VS. Kirby
VS. Pichu
VS. Mewtwo
BEGINNER FOX
Lesson I - Short Hopping
------------------------------------
Go to practice mode and literally short hop around the screen. Short hop at different lengths and at different speeds, but simply master this movement. It's REQUIRED. An effective way of doing this is pressing the X or Y button as fast as you can. The time it takes for you to release the X/Y button after pressing it determines if Fox does a full jump or a short jump. Pressing the X/Y button hard or softly has nothing to do with it.
After you're able to short hop vertically consistently, practice SH'ing horizantally at different lengths. If you SH and tilt the control stick left or right, you will cover a small jump distance. However, if you dash, and during the middle of the initiation of the dash sequence JUMP, you'll cover a much larger, favorable distance. Practice.
Goal : Short hop in any direction at any (restrained) distance without effort.
Lesson II - L-Cancelling and Fast Falling
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Go into any mode and practice L-cancelling all of Fox's aerials INCLUDING his neutral-a. Also, be sure to Fast Fall your attacks to limit the amount of time you spend in the air. A basic example is to simply jump into the air, fast fall with a neutral-a, and then l-cancel it.
Goal: L-Cancel fast fallen aerials without effort.
*Note:* If you're not sure if you're L-Cancelling correctly, simply press A IMMEDIATELY after landing an attempted l-cancel attack. If the jab doesn't come out, you're either pressing A way too fast, or you didn't L-cancel. A more noticable difference is to shine immediately after any L-Cancelled move. If you're able to shine IMMEDIATELY after the aerial, you'll notice that your opponent had no opportunity to retaliate.
Lesson III - (S)hort (H)op, (F)ast (F)all, (L)-(C)ancel (SHFFLC'ing)
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Fox's bread and butter. You want to apply what you learned from Lesson I and Lesson II and combine them. This may take a week or so to truly master unless you have above average finger dexterity. The procedure here is doing a short hop, an aerial attack, fast falling, and then L-Cancelling. In the beginning, you may omit the fast falling procedure IF YOU CHOOSE, but eventually you want to be able to combine all the elements above.
Goal: SHFFLC'ing around the screen without stopping and maintaining the same speed without effort.
*NOTE:* The timing to SHFFLC'ing is different when a character attacks air as opposed to an opponent. You'll notice the timing is CONSIDERABLY different with Fox's Drill Kick (D-AIR) because he hits his opponent several times before landing, keeping him in the air longer than usual. Because of this, I suggest for this lesson, OMIT FOX'S DRILL KICK. Why?
Lesson IV - L-Cancelling the Drill Kick
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Because it's a lesson in itself! However, once you master this lesson, I guarantee you that L-Cancelling with ANY character will be a piece of cake. Notice that I didn't include short hopping in this lesson. This is because I believe that is a more advanced technique that should be practiced later. The problem with the Drill Kick is that the rate at which you leave the ground, attack, and land changes constantly according to how much of the Drill Kick actually hits your opponent. Also, the amout of time it takes for a completely vertical drill kick (a drill kick coming directly above the opponent), and a completely horizantal drill kick (a drill kick coming directly across from the opponent) is substantial.
So here's what you need to understand in order to master this technique: Press L when Fox's feet hits the ground. WTF? Sounds simple enough. That's what people normally do when they L-Cancel, right? Yes AND no. With most of Fox's attacks, you can predict easily when you touch the ground and L-Cancel accordingly to the point where you can SHFFLC without looking. The reason most people can't L-Cancel Fox's Drill Kick well is because they press L while he's still doing the move! With the Drill Kick, you're going to have to focus less on the timing of a series of button presses, and focus more on Fox's landing.
If you understood the above paragraph, here's how you master the move: I like practicing on an opponent who's not moving so I suggest either practice mode or VS mode with a controller in the 2nd player port (making the character stand still). That stage with the UFO on it has a wall so place the idle character against the wall so they don't move. FIRST, practice the vertical drill kick. Stand right next to your opponent, hop into the air (you DON'T have to short hop), then fast fall and drill kick all at once. Pay attention to when Fox actually hits the ground L-Cancel accordingly. Then switch to short hopping. Repeat until you're comfortable.
JUST PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
Goal: L-Cancelling Fox's Drill Kick effortlessly.
Lesson V - L-Cancelling into Shine
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My favorite part of the lesson. If you can master Lesson's I-V, you'll have a solid Fox. Lessons I-IV is pointless if your opponent simply shieldgrabs it. Also, applying Fox's shine after a completed SHFFLC'ing leads into countless amount of opportunities to attack again! (Now you see why Fox is top tier.) The shine provides a safe escape route and/or another opportunity to deal some damage. Don't forget that there are other options out of the SHFFLC'ing such as grabbing, sidestepping, etc. If you don't mix your options together, you'll become predictable.
Now pay attention. This is extremely complicated. You ready?
After a SHFFLC'ing aerial... shine. ...That's it. In case you're unaware, Fox's shine can be canceled with a jump (known as Jump-Cancelling). That's a GOOD thing. You'll find out why later.
Goal: Performing a successful shine after an L-Cancelled aerial.
INTERMEDIATE FOX
Lesson I - Wavedashing
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You're probably wondering why we're just now getting to the wavedash. My reasoning is simple really. You see, a lot of newbies want to master this very sexy technique, but they have no idea how to use it. Do you know how many newbies I see wavedashing across the screen right into my fist? Wavedashing is a fairly easy technique, but it's been placed in the Intermediate section simply because only Intermediate Fox's will be able to exploit the spoils of this move. What's a good example? Let's say running the United States is wavedashing. That makes George Bush Fox. In this case, Fox is a noob because he's been given the power to wavedash, but he fails to use it correctly. GREAT! Moving on.
Fox has a great wavedash. It's fast and covers a decent length. Because the amout of frames it takes for Fox to leave the ground after the initial input of pressing the jump button is so small, Fox responds to the input almost instantly. This means as soon as you jump, you're literally air-dodging backwards RIGHT after you jumped. Because wavedashing is a universal technique, I'll just explain how you know you're successfully doing it with Fox.
When Fox air-dodges, he makes this "OH TA!" sound with it. When you first start wavedashing, you'll probably hear him saying "OH TA!" alot. This will occur either because you didn't air-dodge fast enough after the initial jump OR the angle of the analog stick isn't slanted downard enough. You know you've wavedashed correctly if Fox slides backwards without making any sound. Go into practice mode and practice.
Goal: Wavedashing instinctively in any direction on command.
Lesson II - Waveshining
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Waveshining is essential to higher levels of play with Fox. If you recall in the Beginner section, we ended with Shining. Since I assume you already know what Waveshining is, I won't go into what it looks like, but I will explain its uses for a brief moment.
Waveshining enables Fox to "chase" after his opponent after a successful shine hit. His wavedash is long enough to be in smash range with some characters (Link, Shiek) melee range with others (Marth), and no range at all with a small few (Luigi). The reason why this technique is outstanding is because it allows a free hit/grab. I can't stress enough the importance of a free hit/grab because Fox has the capability to turn the tide with one. I'll leave the options after a waveshine for you to discover but some popular ones are waveshine ---> upsmash and waveshine --> grab --> upthrow --> up-air.
Mastering the waveshine is no walk in the park. You're probably not going to be able to do it consistently for a while. Even if you're able to execute it once, you'll most likely won't be able to follow up with another waveshine right after. This technique requires that you move your fingers very fast and accurately and in my opinion, this technique seperates a decent Fox from a good Fox. To start go into Practice mode and choose Link as your opponent and FD as your practice stage. "Push" him to the edge of stage and leave enough room for you to stand behind him.
What you want to do now is understand that a waveshine is a SHINE + A WAVEDASH. Understand that you are simply doing a wavedash after you have done a shine. Once you understand what it is you're doing, try attempting one waveshine. If you failed, DON'T WORRY. You can wavedash anytime during your shine so in the beginning of your training, concentrate on accuracy and not speed. Eventually after you get the mechanics down, speed up. Also note that when you shine Link and wavedash afterwards, you SHOULD be in shine range again without moving. If you're not, you're not wavedashing properly.
If you can waveshine and get into Link's range, then you're halfway there. Gradually decrease the time between the shine and the wavedash. You'll know you've done it perfectly if you waveshine Link, quickly up-smash, and the status bar on the top left of the screen says you've done a 2-hit combo. Once you've mastered this step, *legally* you're allowed to stop. You've technically learned enough about the waveshine to use it effectively, but if you want to truly master it, then practice waveshing into another waveshine. You can do this with no retaliation from certain opponents across the entire screen.
Goal: Waveshing quickly and accurately enough to gain access to a free hit/grab without retaliation on command.
Lesson III - Chaingrabbing
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This will be a short lesson in general because Fox can only chaingrab a small select few. Amont that group, however, there exists two high tier characters: Falco and Fox. Yes, Fox can chaingrab himself. The reason why this technique is in particular useful for Fox because you can start at 0%.
Go into VS. mode and have your opponent be a LVL 1 Fox (practice mode won't do because your opponent won't DI). Grab him and do an up-throw. There are usually three options from there on (correct me if I'm wrong):
1.) Fox flies straight up and down. In order to grab him again, simply time another grab before he hits the ground without moving at all.
2.) Fox sails toward the right. If he's at a low percentage, you should be able grab him again without moving. However at a higher percentage, Fox will be able to DI far enough to the right to escape your stationary grab attempt. In this case, dash forward and perform a jump-cancelled grab while he's still in mid-air.
3.) Fox sails to the left. If he's at a low percentage, you should be able to grab him simply by quickly changing directions and performing another grab. Practice tilting the control stick to the left enough for Fox to change directions, but not too hard that you cause him to move. If the opponent is at a higher percentage, Fox will be able to DI far enough to the left to escap your stationary grab attempt. In this case, dash to the left and perform a jump-cancelled grab while he's still in mid-air.
And that's all there is to it. After a while, your opponent can escape the chaingrabbing. Instead of letting them escape, hit them with a nice up-smash or something similiar to finish off the beating.
Goal: Chaingrabbing an opponent without retaliation until they are capable of escaping.
Lesson IV - Edgeguarding and Gimping
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There is no set rule for edgeguarding, but there is a strategy: keep your opponent off the ledge. The reason why this has been placed in the Intermediate section is because being a great edgeguarder seperates a beginner from a novice. You can kill your opponent at 0% if you edgeguard well enough.
Fox in particular is an outstanding edgeguarder not because of his moves (except one), but because of his speed. He can quickly chase after an opponent who attempts to sail over his head and quickly grab the ledge when an opponent is attempting to grab the ledge. But what makes Fox such a scary edgeguarder is his shine. If you're able to shine a person while they're attempting to recover, 9 times out of 10 they're finished. The time it takes to recover from a shine's stun lasts entirely too long. Since there are many ways of edgeguarding with Fox, I'm going to focus on two specific moves: Shine and B-air.
Edgeguarding with a shine is pretty much self-explanatory. But it's not always easy. The most basic way to edgeguard with a shine is to jump after the character until you're touching them, perform a shine, and then double jump back onto the arena performing an up+b or a forward+b if necessary. This will work on lower leveled players and sometimes on higher leveled players if they get careless. Against a higher skilled player, this isn't technique isn't suggested because the opponent and take advantage of Fox's fall speed. Using Marth as an example, if you attempt to jump off the stage to shine him, he could retort with an f-air. Worst case scenerio: you hit the side of the stage, don't tech, and get edgeguarded yourself. Therefore only use this technique when you're feeling brave and/or dumb.
There is also another, more safer, way to shine. As you know, grabbing the ledge allows your characters to be invulnerable for a small period of time. Using the invulneribility to your advantage, let's say you know Marth is going to perform his up-air to grab the ledge. Grab the ledge first, but make sure you time it so that when Marth performs his up-air, you're invincible. Quickly let go of the ledge by tapping left or down and shine. If you did it right, Marth should be finished, and all that's left is for you to get back on the stage (or grab the ledge again).
If you've been paying attention, you'll have realized that shining as an edgeguard can be done to any opponent at any percentage. If you're able to get your opponent off the ledge at very low percentages, it is possible to gain a quick, easy kill with the shine. Killing someone with the shine at a low percentage is called gimping. It's a legitimate strategy, but you will be known as "gay".
Finally off the topic of shining, we look at Fox's b-air. This move is fast, has nice priority, and has a decent knockback to it at mid ranged percentages. A nice technique to use is to grab the ledge while your opponent is recovering, drop from the ledge (depending on their level of elevation), then double-jump towards them with a b-air. If you're attacking an opponent that's below the stage, you'll usually have to up+b back onto the stage. If they're at stage floor level, it's possible to double jump and perform the b-air and land on the stage. Finally, if they're at a slightly more higher level, you can jump backwards off the ledge and perfrom the b-air at the same time, then quickly grab the ledge again.
There's other stuff you can do to like interuptting opponents with a Drill Kick, but I won't get into that. Just remember that the key to being a good Fox (or any character) is to ledgeguard properly and effectively.
Goal: Uh... edgeguard well. ...yeah.
Lesson V - Getting Back on the Stage
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There's a good side and a bad side to Fox's recovery. The good side is that he has two forms of recovery with two different speeds and lengths. The bad side is that his recovery is linear, meaning he moves in a straight line toward his destination. But then that's kinda good because it's easier to grab the ledge if you can position yourself on the imaginary line leading to the ledge. But then that's kinda bad because... you get the point.
But overall, Fox has a decent enough recovery to keep himself in the game after being knocked off the stage. The key to getting back on the stage is NOT BEING REPETITIVE. Recovering in the same manner over and over again will help your opponent find a weakness. You don't want that to happen so in order to prevent that, mix things up. Your goal is to sweetspot the ledge in most cases, but if they're edgehogging, your goal is to land on the stage without getting knocked back off. This part of the lesson is going to take a lot of hands on experience in order to be well at, I'll explain a tactic with the Firefox that enables a better chance at sweetspotting.
On stages like FD, Fox can FireFox into the side of the stage and gradually "climb" to the ledge. The purpose of this technique is to either sweetspot the edge, or land on the stage with as little air-time as possible since after Fox's FireFox, he becomes vulnerable in mid-air. To practice this technique, just jump off the stage and position yourself somewhere random beneath the ledge. Use Fox's Firefox and point the analog stick diagnally toward the stage. If you did it right, at the end of Fox's Firefox, he should grab the ledge. If you did it semi-right, Fox will land on the stage but will be very close to the ledge. If you did it wrong, you'll die. Practice getting to know Fox's options to recovery wherever he may be off the ledge.
Goal: Effectively getting back onto the stage using a wide variety of mix-ups.
If you've made it this far, cool beans. This section teaches the Fox user how to effectively use all the moves explained above. There will be NO goals. Knowing what you know now, you could move on from this section and with some creativity and an open mind, develop strategies on how to conquer using Fox. But if you're too lazy to do that, read on.
ADVANCED FOX
Lesson I - The Offensive Fox
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Alright you lazy ***. First we're going to take a glance at the offensive Fox. The offensive Fox is scary because he's constantly applying pressure to the opponent keeping chances to retaliate to a bare minimum. He's hardly ever stationary, nimble, and most importantly, cancels all his shielded aerials into a shine, which THEN should be canceled with a jump/wavedash/grab, etc. Pressure, pressure, pressure is the key. But there are ways of going about applying pressure. Running back and forth around your opponent with your dash-attack is not one of them.
First, here's what you're not going to do.
1.) You're not going to spam your lasers.
2.) You're not going to give your opponent much breathing room, especially slow characters.
3.) You're not going to shield often; only when necessary.
Here's what you're going to be doing.
1.) Well executed shfflc'ed aerials....
2.) ...That are nearly ALWAYS followed by a shine (unless the impact of a landed aerial allows for a combo).
3.) A large amount of JC grabs.
Your goal is to become controlled chaos. First, realize that when your opponent blocks a shfflc'ed aerial, their first instinct is usually to shieldgrab. There's a good chance that your opponent will undermind your shfflc'ing abilities and attempt to shieldgrab you in hope that you'll miss your L-Cancel ---> Shine. This is why nearly the entire Beginner's level is spent trying to master this technique. If you keep shining an opponent that attempts to shieldgrab you, they'll get the picture, but what they don't realize is that they're falling into a trap.
Instead of shieldgrabbing, your opponent most likely will instead keep their shields up. That's a GOOD thing. Why? Because now they're more open to getting grabbed. Here's a tactic I use often when I'm being offensive with Fox: aftering shfflc'ing into a shine against an opponent who's blocking, I waveshine toward the opponent (placing me behind them), turn, and grab. The reason why I get behind the opponent is because it throws their game off when you abruptly "swap sides" plus you're able to escape almost any attack thrown in that direction. Also, Fox is so fast, he's able to accomplish this tactic to the point where most opponents won't realize what happened until you're up-air'ing them to Heaven.
Which brings me to my next point. The offensive Fox is all about controlling your opponent. Ooooo, talk about mind games. You want your opponent to fall into forced habits like shielding too much, or not shielding enough. Picking up on these habits aren't too hard if you observe your opponents reactions. If they roll and shield alot, they're playing defensive leaving them more open to grabs. If they don't shield often and attack constantly (kinda like you), they're more open to your shfflc'ed aerials, shines, and smashes (preferable up-smash). A good opponent never falls into a single pattern unless they realize you fall for a shieldgrab 9/10 of the times. Being able to read your opponent fast and accurately is key to an offensive Fox.
Going up against a defensive player allows you to control their movements better, but going up against an offensive player means both of you are fighting equally for that control. In this case, whoever's offense is stronger has the control, and so... you want a strong offense. However, Fox has to play a little different against a more offensive opponent. Instead of waiting to retaliate, they usually attempt to attack before you can start your barrage of sex kicks and shines. Perfectly fine; the offensive Fox simply needs to alter their strategy a little.
Because this Fox is COMPLETELY offensive, I won't go much into defensive strategies against an offensive opponent. Instead, I'll let you read The Defensive Fox, put 2 and 2 together, and come up with a well-balanced hybrid Fox. Your goal here is to interupt your opponent's attack in an attempt to take back control. Because of Fox's speed, this is very possible, but it requires a knowledge of what moves work best against certain opponents. Most slower characters are open to drill-kicks. Against faster characters, you usually want to use Fox's sex-kick since it has more range than the drill-kick.
Ultimately, this Fox will be challenging to master and challenging to defeat. Just always keep in mind that you have to apply pressure and manipulate your opponent while never falling into your own pattern which could enable your opponent to perceive your next move. Good luck.
Lesson II - The Defensive Fox
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The defensive Fox is annoying as hell. He spams lasers, keeps out of melee range, chases techs, and exploiting every opportunity, punishes accordingly. This Fox is more deceptive than the offensive Fox and has more depth into its strategy. They usually play in a more safe manner and instead of relying on their own performance, they work off their opponent. Ultimately, the defensive Fox creates misdirection in order to have their opponent make a mistake.
A Fox that constantly lasers his opponent every safe chance he can become annoying. A more annoyed opponent. is more likely to make a mistake than a more calm opponent. So use Fox's laser, but don't rely on it. It's only a small part of a larger whole. The laser's main purpose is to cause your opponent to come to you. For the most part, defensive players play defensively because their offense isn't that well. A defensive Fox against a defensive players forces them to go on the offense. This is the best way to discover your opponent's level of play. A lower-level opponent will whiff constantly, fail to L-Cancel, and smash uncontrollably. This requires a lot less thinking on the Fox's part; simply punish his mistakes with grabs/up-smashes/shfflc'ed aerials. But because you're being defensive, remember to create a gap out of melee range after punishing your opponent if they're in a better position to retaliate.
A mid-level opponent is just an upgrade of the low-level. More mindgames are involved here because your opponent may not make too many mistakes... that is without your help. Basic mid-direction can used here in order to confuse or trick your opponent thinking they have an opportunity to get you. A simple tactic is to dash forward into range, then quickly dash back. You'll be amazed at how many Marth's f-smash instinctively. Lol, noobs. Anyway... once they've fallen into your trap, turn around and punish accordingly. At higher %'s, go for the smash kill. At lower %'s, combo effectively in an attempt to do as much damage as possible without reprecussion. Then it's back to square one.
A high-level opponent is very different. To be honest, it's hard to put in words how to defeat them because their mindgames are above average. Most of them will instantly pick up on the fact that you're a defensive Fox. Seeing that, they use reverse psychology. Stay with me here: You're going to try to make your opponent make a mistake. Your high-level opponent here knows you're going to try to make your opponent make a mistake. Knowing this, a smart opponent will put themselves in seemingly vulnerable situations (which is suppose to be your job) in order to bait you to come punish them like the good little defensive Fox you are.
THEN YOU GET OWNED AND YOU'RE LIKE WTF!!?!?! MIND GAAAAMES!!!
So for a higher-level opponent, stick to the same tactics you used with the mid-level opponent. But in this case, you're going to have to be much more cautious. A tricky (but dangerous) stunt to do is to act like you're creating a diversion for your opponent to fall into. For example, dashing forward into melee range. Because your opponent has recognized you're a defensive Fox, they'll most likely won't expect a DROP KICK to the face so deliver one. This however goes against the laws of a defensive Fox since this now becomes an offensive Fox, but this brings me to a very important point.
Lesson III - The Hybrid Fox
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Sometimes you can get away with just being the offensive Fox. Sometimes you can get away with just being the defensive Fox. But the lessons above are not there to teach you one style of play to use throughout the rest of your Fox career, but instead ways to alter your playing style to create the ultimate Fox: The Hybrid Fox.
I won't dive too much into the hybrid Fox because he's self-explanatory. You combine the defensive Fox with the offensive Fox into your gameplay, allowing you to turn offensive when you need to, and play defensively when you need to. There are times when you need to be on the offensive (spawning, edgeguarding, or when your opponent is at a high percentage), and there are times when you need to be defensive (your opponent is spawning, you're at a low %, etc.). Playing as this Fox will help you develop much better mindgames which becomes, in my opinion, the key to winning at higher-levels of play.
So practice combining the defensive and offensive Fox together to make yourself a force to be wreckoned with.
CHARACTER MATCH-UPS
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." - Sun Tzu, Art of War
If you've read up to this section, you have completed your journey of knowing yourself, but knowing yourself is only half the battle. If an ant knows the extent of its potential, does that mean he can gain victory over an Anteater? Of course not. That was a bad metaphor, but you get the point.
"To know your enemy, you must become your enemy. " - Sun Tzu, Art of War
Applying what we've learned, we will now study Fox's match-ups with each character in the game. I will discuss advantages, disadvantages, tactics, and other factors that will make you more knowledgable on how to exploit your foe's weakness. Importantly, we will take a very detailed look into the eyes of each foe and realize what their tactic against Fox most likely will be. That way, unless a new tactic has been thought up, you will know exactly what you're up against.
VS. Falco
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Advantages:
- Fox can chaingrab.
- Fox can kill at % percents fairly easy with shine.
- Fox edgeguard Falco fairly well.
- Fox can combo Falco fairly well.
- Fox is faster.
- Fox can recover better than Falco.
Disadvantages:
- Falco can combo Fox very easy at any percent.
- Falco can CC --> Shine plenty of Fox's aerials.
- Falco can edgeguard Fox fairly well.
- Falco's lasers interupt Fox.
The Problem:
This is not a fun match. Let's assume the Falco is highly skilled since lower skilled Falco's aren't nearly as intimidating. Playing a Falco forces Fox to change the way he normally faces characters. SHFFLC'ed attacks can now be CC ---> Shined which means Fox can't throw them out randomly. Also, Fox's shine knocks Falco on the ground destroying any chance of a combo and only leaving the tech chase game available.
Another problem is that Fox has to play more defensively than normal. Falco IS the best offensive character in the game due to his ability to put pressure on his opponents with lasers and shfflc'ed aerials into shines. If you fall into a Falco's shine, you could find yourself being thrown helplessly into the air until eventually the momentum of Fox's trajectory takes you well above Falco's combo range, or you're flying off the stage trying to figure out a way to not get hit by his drill kick. What's a Fox to do!?
The Solution:
Uh... I'll tell you later.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Fox
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Advantages:
- Fox can chaingrab.
- Fox can combo Fox fairly easy.
- Fox can edgeguard Fox fairly well.
- Being Fox, you know what to expect from a Fox.
Disadvantages:
- Fox can chaingrab.
- Fox can combo Fox fairly easy.
- Fox can edgeguard Fox fairly well.
- Being Fox, he know what to expect from a Fox.
The Problem:
You ever play Zelda: Ocarina of Time? Well, if you did, there was a trial Link had to go through where he had to face himself. I mean, literally, himself. It was a Link that new the same moves and sometimes the same tactics as yourself, except he was all black. In order to beat him, I cheated and used a hammer (he couldn't pull out a hammer) and smashed him to death. If you had to play yourself, I guarantee you it won't be as easy as it sounds.
Because you both share the same strengths and weaknesses, this match is decided to the Fox who:
1.) Can use Fox the most effectively.
2.) Can fight against Fox the most effectively.
3.) Has the best mindgames.
The Solution:
Know what to expect, and counter it. The best way to fight Fox is to play off their mistakes; just like a game of chess. You have to play SMARTER. If he's an offensive Fox, look for gaps in his defense and strike when you see an opening. For example, if he likes to SHFFLC across the screen like a raging lunatic, concentrate on your spacing and let him fall into the ****. A simple well-placed and well-spaced wavedash can cause your opponent to jump right into a grab, which can be followed into chainthrowing, up-tilts, or an up-smash.
If he's a defensive Fox, trick him by making him believe he has an opportunity to strike. For example, a very good tactic is to jump in front of Fox and pretend you're going to land grab range right in front of him (he'll most likely shield). Instead of landing on the spot, waveland backwards. 9/10, your opponent will fall for this simple yet deceptive move and he'll be open for punishment. Experiment, and have fun improving your Fox based on other people's Fox's.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Sheik
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Advantages:
- Fox can combo Sheik decently.
- Fox can waveshine combo Sheik.
- Fox edgeguards Sheik very well.
- Fox can manuever slightly better than Sheik.
Disadvantages:
- Sheik edgeguards Fox very well.
- Sheik's tilts are fast and work well against Fox.
- Sheik's needles hurt Fox's recovery badly.
- Sheik's aerials have longer range.
The Problem:
Well, it's Sheik. She's quick, powerful, has a very useful projectile, and her moveset enables her to do well against nearly anyone in the game including Fox. She can adapt to Fox's speed and in some cases match it. Catching her off guard is difficult as well because the majority of her moves come out fast with very little lag. Her wavedash is very good for letting mindless, shfflc'ing Fox's to n-air into a grab or worse, and her roll is quick covering a decent length giving her a point for evasiveness.
Moveset and tactic-wise, Sheik has a number of things she can do to Fox. D-throw into tech-chase into d-smash is a common tactic. At mid %, she can easily rack up damage with almost any combination of tilts unless the Fox CC's them. Ultimately, all these tactics are focused on pushing Fox off the stage because Sheik edgeguards Fox very well. Her b-air is deceptively longer than it looks and can reach out to most incoming Fox's. Her needle can interupt Fox's phantasm and his firefox causing him to drop fast very suddenly. You get the point.
The Solution:
As ugly as it sounds, it's really not that bad. I thoroughly enjoy this match-up because Sheik is slow enough to not be able to out manuever Fox, but she's quick enough to leave herself open unexpectantly, if that makes sense. Basically what I mean is that because this is a fast-paced battle, very small gaps of opportunity present themselves at a very high rate; the goal is to see when they're coming and exploit them. You can either create your own opporunity, or allow your opponent to create their own.
To create your own opportunity against Shiek, play it smart. You should always play it smart, but you should be on your toes when you're up against a powerhouse like Sheik. Up-throw to up-air is VERY effective against Sheik. Also, if you're very good at shfflc'ing and your opponent likes to test your abilities, you can get plenty of shines in which should almost always lead to a hard hitting move. When you feel Sheik is about to tilt you, CC into a grab or a waveshine combo if you're close enough. At lower %'s, if you land a shfflc'ed n-air on a Sheik, you can usually follow up with an up-tilt and begin the juggling process there. There possibilities are endless.
To allow your opponent to create an opportunity for yourself, pay attention to spacing. Watch their patterns. Do they dash attack a lot? Shieldgrab, up-smash out of shield, jump, w/e. Dash attack is easy to punish, but hard to see coming. If you expect it, it'll be easier to evade and counter, but don't concentrate too hard on it. It's important to know what moves are available for Shiek or any character to use on Fox pending on spacing. Does your opponent link f-airs mindlessly? Probably since most Sheik's do. There are a few ways to approach this. You can dash dance in and out of their range and attempt to grab them when they land, but that usually doesn't work because a good Sheik will follow up with jab to stop you. ...But wait, if you know they're going to try to stop from being grabbed with a jab, then how can you punish a jab? Be slick and wait for her to jab, or get in jab range on person and CC it into a grab. If your opponent is wreckless, you can intercept a f-air linking Sheik if you come from beneath her.
Finally, you want to be sure to destroy her when she attempts to recover. Sheik's always want to grab the ledge because landing on the stage after an up+b leaves her vulnerable for a long time. I'll keep it simple. If they're going to land on the stage, just hit forward to get up from the ledge and up-smash (knock them back off the stage if they're not in killing percentages). If they're going for the ledge, stall. Fox's firefox stall almost always forces Shiek to land on the stage, but if you think they're trying to grab the ledge, well... just roll. That's about it.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Marth
----------
Advantages:
- Up-throw to up-air works wonders
- Fox can kill Marth vertically at low %'s
- Fox can edeguard Marth well
Disadvantages:
- Marth can chaingrab Fox (0-death)
- Marth can juggle Fox fairly easy
- Marth can edgeguard Fox very well
- Marth has excellent manueveribility
- Marth has a dangerous tech-chase game
The Problem:
The range, the grab, the quickness, and the up-tilt. Yes, the up-tilt is to be feared more than Marth's infamous f-smash with this match-up. A good Marth uses the f-smash sparingly against Fox because they recognize that air combos and tilts are much more safer from the lag punishing Fox. By spamming tilts rather than f-smashes, Marth can keep Fox from invading his personal bubble, however if a Fox manages to reach that bubble they're now in perfect range for a nice grab.
If you noticed the disadvantages, you would have seen this very important point: "Marth can chaingrab Fox (0-death)". For those of you still confused, this is a BIG problem. On stages without platforms, Marth can up-throw to up-throw or up-throw to up-tilt to another up-throw or up-tilt from 0% until he's ready to finish you. In most cases, when you get grabbed by Marth, you are not pronounced dead simply because of the human tendacy to make a mistake. However, a good Marth will definitely stack up a large % to your stock and/or will knock you off the stage far enough for you to have little to no chance to recovering.
Speaking of edgeguarding, Marth is, if not the top, one of the most feared edgeguarders in the game. His basic edgeguarding game consist of the piercing d-tilt, neutral a, the f-smash, and his neutral b (hopefully uncharged). More advance edgeguarding involves Marth edgehogging into b-airs, counters, whatever. The fact that Fox's recovery travels in a straight line doesn't help either. For those of you who aren't good at sweetspotting, you'll probably attempt to sail over his head and just pray you land somewhere on the middle of the screen. That's not always a bad idea; sometimes it's the only option besides death, but you're now wide open to whatever wrath Marth has planned for you since he moves quickly enough to punish characters at long distances.
Speaking of moving quickly, Marth... moves quickly. Not only does he move quickly, but his movement is somewhat unorthodox because of his exceptionally well dash. When Marth enters his dash animation, he covers a long distance, but he can dash out of his dash either immediately or delayed (which is more dangerous than it sounds). His ability to move quickly allows him to match Fox's speed, but more importantly negate one of the aspects of Fox that makes him so overwhelming. Basically, he literally dash circles around his opponents giving him many opportunities to grab.
The Solution:
Despite the fact that I just described Marth as an unbeatable foe, Fox can still handle his own. It's been said that Fox actually counters Marth entirely, but I disagree with that statement entirely. Both opponents can do some really gay things against each other so let's discuss what it is Fox can do.
Up-throw to up-air into up-air into up-air into vertical laser spam. If you don't get anything out of this guide, please get this tactic nailed into your head. Now you can't always get 3 up-air's in a row (although it's very possible), an up-air is guaranteed after Fox up-throws. This means at a certain percent, a grab by Fox is a guaranteed kill, but ONLY if you're quick enough to follow Marth into the air with an up-air and follow his DI (if they DI). The same rule generally applies to nearly every character in the game except the real floaty one. At beginning to novice level play, this is the only thing Fox needs to do to beat a Marth. Note that you have to be smart enough to find a way to grab him; I can't teach mindgames.
Remember that BIG problem we have with Marth with the chaingrabbing? Well, the easiest solution is to sway away from Final Destination when facing a Marth. Platforms are a gift and a curse in many situations, even in this match-up, but they do more good than bad for Fox. But let's say you had to face Marth on FD and you're being chaingrabbed. What do you do? Well, first, I'll tell you what you don't want to do:
1.) If you're near the ledge, don't try to DI off the stage. That's what Marth wants you to do so he can follow up into a cool-looking d-air or an effective f-smash.
2.) Don't NOT DI. This mean DI, but I wanted to stick with what you don't want to do. If you just sit patiently while he tosses you up and down, you decrease the chance of your opponent screwing up. However, there is an exception to not DI'ing is when Marth fails to implement the up-tilt variation or the pivot jc-grab. If you DI in the opposite direction Marth is facing causing Marth to turn his body around, you can sometimes shine Marth before he comes in for the next grab attempt if you don't DI at all. Cool, huh?
More times than none, Marth will mess up on his chaingrab and drop you right next to him putting you in the tech-chase game. The only thing I can say is mix it up. Don't always tech in spot; don't always tech-roll; don't always TECH. You'll be amazed how effective falling to the ground without teching and then standing straight up can be.
You should play Marth like you play any other character besides this. Force him to whiff, edgeguard by stalling and then coming back onto the stage with a kill move or knocking him back off the stage. One last unique thing you can do against Marth is roll against the side of the ledge while Marth is trying to recover and lightshield. When you lightshield, point the control stick down and to the direction of the ledge. If the Marth hits your shield and doesn't sweet spot, Fox will fall and grab the ledge before Marth comes down from the peak of his up+b.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Peach
----------
Advantages:
- Fox can kill vertically at early %
- Fox can waveshine combo
- Fox can manuever himself around Peach's projectiles
- Fox can u-throw --> u-air
Disadvantages:
- Peach can chaingrab Fox
- Peach is excellent against fast-fallers
- Peach can CC --> d-smash
- Peach can edgeguard Fox very well
- Peach isn't affected much by Fox's edgeguard
The Problem:
Peach is a tank with the ability to float. Depending on what kind of Peach you play, it could be a fast tank or a slow tank, but she's a tank nonetheless. Peach is capable of quickly stacking damage on Fox at early %'s and finishing him off just as quickly.
The first hurdle Fox's need to get over is Peach's d-smash. If you play a d-smashing Peach enough, you quickly break out of the habit of CC'ing around her. Even if you don't hold down, Fox fast falls enough to get hit 2 or 3 times at 0%, and if not properly tech'ed, more if she d-smashes again. A novice Peach will have an easier time against a novice Fox hands down. Also, when Fox is recovering from below stages, a d-smash is a devestating edgeguard since there's a high chance of Fox hitting the stage and falling to his doom in a mad stun.
The second hurdle is Peach's playstyle. She's completely different from any other character in the game. She doesn't shfflc; she float-cancels, er turn-ups are endless, she has both slow and fast aerials all with high priority, and basically everything Peach does is a set-up. You can't charge in at a Peach with wreckless shfflc's and sloppy aerials because Peach can reject a missed L-cancel immediately and harshly. However, you can't camp too well (depending on the stages) because she has an excellent projectile game going for her.
The Solution:
If you've read my entire guide, you should be ready to take on Peach. You USUALLY need a really good technical Fox to take on a Peach, but some "mindgame" Fox's may be able to take her on with u-throw --> u-air's or well timed u-smashes. But if you've got to Lesson II of the Intermediate Fox, facing Peach will be much easier.
I actually enjoy fighting Peach's; it's my favorite match-up as Fox. A well-trained Fox has a lot going for him against her. Remember, Peach is a tank, and a tank can't hit a target that's constantly moving and changing directions. Well, it can, but it's difficult. For those of you who are familiar with other match-ups, I like to compare this one with the Falcon vs. Marth match-up with Falcon being Fox and Marth being Peach.
Basically against Peach, don't hold down until you're experienced enough to know the proper/safe times to CC. Perfect your shfflc's and you'll find yourself shining Peach where at one time Peach would have d-smashed you. Note that at low %'s, Peach can CC most of Fox's shfflc'ed aerials. The best option at low %'s is to get the grab on Peach and stack up damage with his up-air. He completely ***** Peach coming from underneath her. Also, like any other character, never play a completely horizantal shfflc game. Full jump -> drillkick is GREAT against Peach and can be followed up into a grab, a shine, or an u-tilt.
But don't get too comfortable. The key to beating Peach is getting in and getting out. Hit and run. When you see an opening, take it and do as much damage possible and scram. Being too close to Peach increases the chances of Fox getting d-smashed or chaingrabbed. Another great tactic and a thing to remember when using Fox is that his n-air can be followed into an up-smash against certain character IF you follow the opponent's DI. This works well on Peach at low/mid%'s, but you usually only want to use this tactic if Peach is at a high enough % to be killed by the u-smash.
Lastly, coming onto the stage against Peach can suck really badly, but it's not hopeless. It takes practice and a lot of experience. From the side, you usually want to either forward+b immediately after leaving the stage toward Peach to catch her off guard or more preferably grab the ledge. If Peach is edgeguarding with a d-smash and you come from the side, you'll most likely be hit by her d-smash and sent back onto the stage which is not a bad tactic (a good Peach edgeguards with a more variety of moves). When recovering from below the stage from a charging d-smash Peach, be calm. Aim for the ledge and as soon as you get hit, you can quickly tech. If you successfully pulled this off, your usual best option is to forward+b back onto the stage or firefox. If you're in a position to sweetspot the ledge with an angled firefox, you'll most likely be able to catch it around the same time Peach is finished with her d-smash.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Captain Falcon
---------------------
Advantages:
- Fox can juggle Falcon very well
- Fox can edgeguard against Falcon very well
- Fox's shine is devestating toward Falcon
- Fox's aerial game out prioritizes Falcon's somewhat
Disadvantages:
- Falcon is the fastest character in the game
- Falcon has an excellent tech-chase game toward Fox
- Falcon can juggle Fox fairly well
The Problem:
Captain Falcon is a very sharp two-edged sword. Very good Falcon players have learned how to make the edge of the sword aimed at Fox much sharper while the edge of sword aimed at himself more blunt. His offensive game puts massive pressure on his opponent, but leaves himself more vulnerable. It's difficult understanding Falcon's exact range because he's able to close large gaps very quickly. This isn't much of a problem for Fox when he's standing, but if Fox happens to be thrown to the ground, the tech-chase game begins. If you've lost the tech-chase game, odds are you'll be sprawling off the screen in a blue shock caused by the infamous knee, even at low percents! And if a Falcon wants to play a defensive game, well-spaced n-airs are very effective, not to mention his WOP with his b-air.
The Solution:
Fox, being the top tier character he is, can hold his own versus Falcon very well. Two things you want to abuse against Falcon is Fox's n-air and his shine. A majority of Falcon's have this habit of dash-dancing in place (when they're out of range), and then like they're saying SURPRISE, lunge out Fox with a random aerial. It works on most opponents because Falcon dash-dancing IS scary. While he's dash-dancing he's basically saying, "I can hit you whenever I want in the blink of an eye.", but Fox doesn't have to take that. As as Fox, you don't want to give Falcon enough room to do that. You want to stay close because Falcon relies on his aerial game since his tilts, although good, aren't the best options for attacking Fox.
So against Falcon, you want to concentrate on spacing and timing. You want to always be able to throw out a fast and high priority move at any time to intercept a Falcon trying to SHFFLC into an aerial. Spam n-airs and up-tilts. At low %'s, Falcon can be juggled just like Falco or Fox so always follow up with as many u-air chains as possible. Don't concentrate on racking up a lot of damage on Falcon before killing him; pay attention to the stage. If you knock Falcon off the stage, you have a very, very good chance of keeping him off. Almost ALWAYS grab the ledge. If you're ledgehogging, Falcon has to land on the stage and deal with the afterlag of his up+b. If he's at a high %, let him land, get up by pressing forward and up-smash. If he's at low %, edgeguard with b-airs from ledgegrab, and if he's coming from under the stage, always keep in mind how you can use your invincibility frames to work in a shine; it's not very difficult to shine Falcon so play around with it.
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Ice Climbers
-------------------
Advantages:
- Fox can manuever himself around IC's fairly easily with platforms
- Fox's shine is effective against IC's low trajectory
- Fox can split Nana and Po effectively
Disadvantages:
- IC's can chaingrab Fox to deal massive damage
- IC's can kill after a successful grab (as with any other character)
- IC's have a complex and overall better groundgame then Fox
- IC's can be hard to read due to their swiftness and irratic movements
The Problem:
The problem is that Fox is the kind of character that tries to get inside of his opponent with his speed, do as much damage as possible, and then clear the area or whatever; against the IC's, you do NOT want to be "inside" them because having two character's instead of one make fighting IC's in close-range proximity dangerous... when they're together. The majority of IC's attack have perfect knockback and stun frames against Fox. For example, IC's dash attack leaves Fox open for an indefinite amount of moves, d-smash's knockback sends you well off the stage or usually onto the floor where you'll have to face IC's deadly tech-chase game, and other moves such as their u-air, neutral a, f-tilt, and u-tilt almost always put Fox in an uncomfortable situation.
Considering Fox's above par mobility and speed with IC's superior wavedash game, they are both close in terms of manuevering. IC's can keep up with Fox's speed without much difficulty. Spamming is dangerous and somewhat pointless when Nana and Po are distributing 2% lasers, and you're usually making yourself vulnerable (or not making a more effective move). Get grabbed and you're screwed. Shoot.. make any mistake and you're screwed.
The Solution:
Overall, Fox can do very well against IC's. Just like Falcon, IC's are a double-edged sword, however the edges are much more distinct: 2 IC's = bad; 1 IC = good (for Fox that is). Anybody knows that with any character, you have two missions.
1.) Seperate Popo and Nana. Preferably in opposite directions, but getting Nana far enough to have to "catch up" with Popo's movements is good as well.
2.) KILL NANA!
Then the rest is up to how well you can handle a single IC, which can possibly be classified as a low to mid tier character. This strategy isn't as straight-forward as it looks; it never is. There may be times you could have killed Popo when you tried to take advantage of Nana. Ultimately, Nana is Popo's partner and decoy. It is NOT an even trade attacking Nana and then receiving damage from Popo. Pick and choose who to attack in a manner that it doesn't become predictable. One thing to remember is that Nana never techs after being hit; this means if you see Nana tumbling onto the ground, you're guaranteed a free hit after she lands.
Against IC's, your best bet is to pick a stage that has platforms (or ban FD). Fox for the most part needs platforms in order to get close without being in the red zone. Also, Popo and Nana sometimes seperate themselves because of platforms. Play patient and try to get off as many shines as possible since a single shine can slide an IC almost halfway the distance of FD. If you manage to shine both of the IC's off the stage, apply pressure and attempt to gimp either of the two.
This is definitely one of Fox's toughest match-ups in the game. Be patient and careful, and you may stand a chance.
VS. Samus
------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Doctor Mario
-------------------
Advantages:
-
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Jigglypuff
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Mario
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Ganondorf
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Link
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Luigi
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Donkey Kong
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Roy
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Young Link
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Pikachu
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Yoshi
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Zelda
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Mr. Game & Watch
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Ness
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Bowser
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Kirby
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Pichu
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Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
VS. Mewtwo
---------------
Advantages:
N/A
Disadvantages:
N/A
The Problem:
N/A
The Solution:
N/A
Pro Tips:
N/A
MORE TO COME: CHARACTER MATCHUPS
But seriously, the strong point of your guide is that it is quite to-the-point and presents a very solid outline of the developing Fox player. Nicely done, InfernoOmni; I will be certain to reference this in my update.