Well, looks like it's time to throw a couple side specials in the ring that no one else seems to have touched on yet. here goes nothing.
: I'd probably make Jolt Haymaker solidly in C tier. It isn't great, but it certainly isn't terrible either.
Pros:
- Can be combo'd into by tilts
- Does good damage (14%)
- Has good knockback (33 BKB, 98 KBG)
- Has variable timing/range (active for six frames, starting anywhere between frame 9 and 30)
- Can be used to edgeguard against low recoveries or hit opponents on ledge while recovering.
- Gives partial intangibility
- Grounded version has long range, and moves about as fast as Little Mac's run without much startup.
- Goes over some projectiles (ex: PK fire, water shuriken)
- Can be used to hit enemies in the opposite direction at point-blank range
Cons:
- Telegraphed hard at long range
- Terrible range in the air (though still better than any other Little Mac aerial)
- Can be punished even on hit at low percents
- Dangerous to use near ledges (It is
the FG Little Mac meme)
- In spite of no FAF frame data from Kurogane Hammer, it certainly has it's fair share, making it Very punishable on shield
Summary:
Jolt Haymaker is a move that has its uses in a variety of situations, from edgeguarding to recovery to punishing to ending combos, as well as the very occasional mixup. However, Little Mac players need to be VERY careful about when they pull this out, as it isn't hard to punish if used at the wrong time, and can be punished HARD. Also, while Little Mac does use this as a recovery move, that doesn't make it a good recovery move.
: I'm... not really sure where to put Shadow Sneak. I'm going to go with B to be conservative, but I could see people placing it higher than that.
Pros:
- Has average kill power and damage
- Provides intangibility frames during teleport to be used as a pseudo counter at short range.
- is a decent recovery move, slowing Greninja's fall speed and ending in a long range horizontal teleport that does not cause helpless falling afterwards (though there is quite a bit of end lag regardless)
- Can end in two different attacks, depending on direction Greninja is facing relative to his opponent upon reappearing
- Can be charged for greater range
- Distance indicator is a shadow, which is non-existent if aiming off-stage or on certain stages with foreground floor details / dark colored floors
- Can walk, turn around, and short-hop while charging
- Can be used to SSHC (Shadow Sneak Hitstun Cancel), letting Greninja cancel any weak hitstun he receives with this move.
-----Lets Greninja escape from a plethora of moves, seen
here
Cons:
- Cannot be canceled
- Punishable on block/miss due to poor FAF
- Changes in Greninja's movement will telegraph the move (suddenly going from running to walking, slowed fall speed, etc).
- SSHC can be punished on a read, possibly restarting combos
Summary:
Without the SSHC technique, I would rate this move in D-tier, really only good for a mixup or a read due to it being very easy to punish and easy to read as well as long as an opponent knows what to look for. However, SSHC is an incredibly strong tool in certain matchups, allowing Greninja to escape large amounts of damage and/or making him incredibly hard to kill. I still only put it in B though, as opponents familiar with the move will start baiting it for harder punishes.
: Oh, Header... another move that is raised quite a bit higher due to the various tech around it.
Like before, I'll give it a B, but I could see argument for it to go higher. Edit: You know what? No. I'm giving this A tier. Between combos into spikes, combo starters from the ball, projectile pressure while in the advantage or some disadvantages, and sheer scariness off-stage, I can only think of, like, three side specials I'd rather have. If this were being compared to something like neutral specials I would probably put it lower, but there just isn't a lot of competition in this category.
Pros:
- Projectile moves very fast and has very long range
- Angle of projectile can be altered slightly, which also alters active frames for the hitboxes and FAF
- Head hitbox spikes, and can be comboed into
- Great damage (15% from the head hitbox and 8% from the projectile, opponents can get hit with both at once, can be increased by Deep Breathing to 18% and 10% respectively)
- Ball damage and knockback do not stale
- Stalls fall and gives slight vertical distance when used in the air
- Ball has a hurtbox and is generated on frame 1, so it can be used to help block some incoming projectiles (though usually a bad idea, see Cons)
- Ball angle will usually not hit Wii Fit Trainer if reflected
- ball will bounce off of sides of stages with a hitbox still active to help cover low recoveries.
- Wii Fit Trainer can drift after hitting the ball even when used on the ground to adjust spacing
- Can be canceled before hit, in which case the ball drops harmlessly in front of Wii Fit Trainer, allowing for BC (ball cancel) tech
----- Can hit ball with any hitbox to launch it at the angle of that hitbox with speed and damage relative to hitbox's KB
----- Massive variety of angles and speeds allow for zoning, easier approaches, frame traps, edge guards, and kill combos
----- Header's spike hitbox can still be used while ball is in play
----- Hitting the ball stales the moves that hit it, meaning you can use this to refresh kill moves or reduce KB for combo moves
----- Hitting the ball causes hitstun, meaning it can be used to extend duration of hitboxes
----- Ball can be hit repeatedly to alter angle of movement mid-flight (ex: hitting the ball with jab to move it forward, then firing Sun Salutation at it to make it pop up at an angle)
----- Ball can be hit with the same hitbox that hits an opponent to make it also hit the opponent for increased damage
----- BC can also be started by using header slightly under the stage, in which case it will spawn on stage next to ledge while Wii Fit Trainer snaps to the ledge
Cons:
- Startup ranges from slightly slow to very slow depending on the angle it is hit at, and BC is even slower
- Non BC shots will go over opponents who are on the ground directly in front of Wii Fit Trainer, unless she uses it from a lower platform or off stage
- If both hitboxes connect (head and ball), ball will stop opponents from being spiked
- Due to a suspected glitch, Header will not spike opponents at very high percents if Deep Breathing is active, instead hitting them at an angle similar to that of the soccer ball
- Only one ball may be active at a time
- Header can only be used one while in the air unless you get hit to reset it, including the ball-less spike
- Canceling the move makes Wii fit Trainer enter helpless fall, so it should never be canceled off-stage
- The ball has a hurtbox, and can be hit back at Wii Fit Trainer (similar to Dedede's Gordos). This is not usually a problem due to the ball's high speed and limited duration, but because the ball is generated in front of Wii Fit Trainer on frame 1 it can be hit into her before she fires it. It does less damage and knockback than large projectiles, but more damage than some small projectiles, and will still hit Wii Fit Trainer without actually stopping most melee attacks (though it usually hits afterwards, changing the KB angle)
- The ball always has the same KB angle no matter it's direction of travel, so no spiking the ball at someone to spike them, etc.
- The ball has limited duration that shortens as it takes damage, making some BC trick shots have very poor range.
- The BC ball can lose it's hitbox if the move that hit it was too weak, though most attacks have at least one hitbox that is strong enough to circumvent this.
Summary:
On its own, Header is a solid projectile that moves at an odd angle and can spike at point blank range, making it a good move that is a staple of Wii Fit Trainer's range game. BC tricks further enhance this, giving the character a projectile that can be fired in almost any direction and with a plethora of specific techniques or combos attached to most of these angles. I can't overstate this enough, to the point where I want to include a link to a summary of what these can do but I would have to link you to most of the Wii Fit Trainer board, as the majority of their threads are "New BC tech found, come watch". However, the move is pretty slow on startup, and will flat out miss opponents who are too close unless you opt for a BC shot, which start up even slower, meaning that it sees almost all of its use in the advantage state when your opponent is too far away to combo them with something else, while off stage, or to take stocks at the end of combos near the ledge.
Phew... okay, resume your regularly scheduled chatter.
