Reversing Your K.O. Punch

[inconspikuous]

(Thread Updated: 10/25/2015)
Update Notes:

• Reversal 7/8: Out-of-Roll B-Reverse and U-Turn (Turn-Around) KO added. Gavi1195 explained another way to reverse the KO punch. It works because you are basically buffering the two required inputs in the endlag of your roll. Although they are different inputs, I did not make separate entries because the videos would look exactly the same.

As I was attempting to answer shinhed-echi's question about turning around to KO punch, I realized there could be more than one way that you could interpret the question. This led me to create this thread.

You can 'reverse' your K.O. Punch in many ways, as you will see. IMO, some ways are much easier/more consistent/more practical than others, but they are all very situational, and you shouldn't be going for these unless you are absolutely beast with your execution. At best, you will catch your opponent with the K.O. Punch. At worst, you will Side-B to your death, or whiff and get punished...to your death. lol. Either way, you will probably lose your stock if you can't perform these with close to 100% consistency and you're still fishing for them. Oh, and a final note, these will probably not work very well online due to input lag and the precise nature of each input.

A few notes as we begin. First, these are the only ways to reverse your K.O. Punch that I know of -- they're not from developer notes, pro tips, or anything, just lab work. If you know of other ways, please let me know and I can add them. Second, it is extremely unfortunate that none of the 'inputs' are exactly the same, so the muscle memory won't be the same for every reversal. In other words, the reversal you choose is context specific, and the inputs are different for different situations, so if you accidentally try one and it wasn't the right context it will not work. Last, unsurprisingly, you can practice all of these without having KO punch activated, so in the videos you will see me going for reversed straight lunges until the KO gauge is full. For ease of explanation, I will explain the inputs as if Little Mac is facing right and wants to K.O. behind him.

Alright enough talk, here's the goods:

Reverse 1: The Turn-Around K.O. Punch

• Little Mac turns around and uses the KO punch. Simple, right? Not really.
• Input (while facing right): Quickly but only very slightly tilt control stick to opposite side (towards Mac's back) and release to neutral , then immediately press 'special' . You should see a frame or three of turnaround animation and then KO punch (or straight lunge) will come out in the opposite direction you were facing before the input.

Pros:

1. Fewest inputs of all 'reverses'.
2. Turn-around part is not too 'dangerous' (if you mess up the input, then you basically dash the opposite way.)
3. Most 'simple' reverse conceptually.
4. Potentially one of the quicker 'reverses', as the only 'waiting' is the turnaround frames before the KO punch.

Cons:

1. One of the most difficult to perform consistently, IMO. The slight tilt is _extremely_ small.
2. If you accidentally press 'special' while still tilting, you will Side-B, potentially offstage.
3. If you mess up the input and start dashing, you may get stuck in 'dash skid animation' and get punished.

Troubleshooting:

As you can see from the first few seconds of the video, if you mess up the input, you will usually get:

1. A straight lunge/KO punch in front of you. (You didn't input enough tilt in the opposite direction.)
2. A reversed jolt haymaker. (You pressed 'special' before releasing the stick to neutral.)
3. A dash in the opposite direction. (You put too much tilt in the opposite direction or didn't press 'special'.)

Reverse 2: The Out-of-Shield B-Reverse K.O. Punch

• While dropping shield, Little Mac releases the KO punch in the opposite direction.
• Input (while facing right): (While shielding ) Release shield, quickly press 'special' and then immediately smash control stick in the opposite direction (or if Mac is facing left ). You should see the shield drop animation then you should see Mac doing the punch in the opposite direction.

Pros:

1. Easiest to learn, IMO.
2. One of the most practical reverses, as you will probably be crossed up by aerials on shield quite a bit.
3. Surprise factor, as opponents will probably not expect you to be able to B-Reverse KO OoS.
4. Muscle memory will carry over to "Reverse 3: The Landing B-Reverse K.O. Punch".
5. Less chance of Side-B coming out than Reverses 1 or 4.
6. Less likely to mis-input as reverse Side-B than Reversal 6.

Cons:

1. If you mess up the input and whiff, your back is facing the opponent and you're stuck in endlag for a long time.
2. If you accidentally press 'special' while still tilting, you will Side-B, potentially offstage.
3. If you mess up the input and start dashing, you may get stuck in 'dash skid animation' and get punished.
4. More likely to mis-input as forward KO punch than Reversal 6.

Troubleshooting:

If you mess up the input, you will usually get:

1. A straight lunge/KO punch in front of you. (You didn't smash the control stick in time. You must smash the control stick in the opposite direction immediately after you press 'special'.)
2. A roll backwards. (You didn't release the shield before pressing 'special' and smashing the control stick in the opposite direction. Wait a frame or two longer for the shield to drop before pressing 'special' and smashing the control stick.)
3. A reversed jolt haymaker. (You pressed 'special' at the same time or after smashing the control stick. Make sure the input goes: release shield, then 'special', then smash control stick.)
4. A dash in the opposite direction. (You pressed 'special' before the shield was dropped and so the only input registered was the smashed control stick. Wait a frame or two longer for the shield to drop before pressing 'special' and smashing the control stick.)

Reverse 3: The Landing B-Reverse K.O. Punch

• While landing, Little Mac releases the KO punch in the opposite direction.
• Input (while facing right): (While landing) Quickly press 'special' and then immediately smash control stick in the opposite direction (or if Mac is facing left ). You will not see any frames of landing or turn-around when Mac is doing the KO punch.

Pros:

1. A practical reverse, as you will likely get your KO punch while in the air stuck in hitlag/knockback, and will have a harder time landing as Mac.
2. Surprise factor, as opponents will probably not expect you to be able to B-Reverse KO on landing.
3. Muscle memory will carry over to "Reverse 2: The Out-of-Shield B-Reverse K.O. Punch".
4. Less chance of Side-B coming out than Reverses 1 or 4.

Cons:

1. One of the more difficult 'reverses' to perform.
2. Less control of KO punch effective range, as you must factor in where you will land when deciding to use it.
3. If you mess up the input and start dashing, you may get stuck in 'dash skid animation' and get punished.

Troubleshooting:

If you mess up the input, you will usually get:

1. A straight lunge/KO punch in front of you. (Either A: You did not land before pressing 'special' and smashing, so your input came out forward; or B: You probably didn't smash the control stick in time. You must smash the control stick in the opposite direction immediately after you press 'special'.)
2. A reversed jolt haymaker. (You pressed 'special' at the same time or after smashing the control stick. Make sure the input goes: [land] then 'special', then smash control stick.)

Reverse 4: The Dash-Pivot Jump-Canceled K.O. Punch

• While dashing in one direction, Little Mac releases the KO punch in the opposite direction.
• Input (while facing right): (While dashing ) Smash , wait for 'squeak sound' and release to neutral , then quickly press 'jump' and immediately afterwards press 'special' (which I have set custom controls 'special' as ) which will jump cancel your dash skid into KO punch. You should hear the 'squeak sound' of the pivot and see a frame or two of turn-around animation, and then you should see Mac doing the punch in the opposite direction.

Pros:

1. Flashiest of all the 'reverses'. (Most disrespectful?)
2. Can beat out spotdodges if read correctly, as dashing frames, the turnaround, and 9-frame-ish startup of the KO punch will eat up the invincibility frames of the dodge.
3. Can potentially beat out rolls towards you if read correctly, as the KO punch will still take a step forward in the opposite direction. Must space correctly.
4. Surprise factor, as opponents will probably not expect you to be able to reverse a KO punch out of a dash.
5. Muscle memory will carry over to Jump-Canceled KO Punches.

Cons:

1. Most 'commitment' of all the 'reverses'. You are vulnerable for the entire time before frame 9 ish of the KO punch.
2. Can be difficult to perform if you do not know the timing of Jump-Canceled KO Punches.
3. If you mess up the input you will probably Side-B and get punished.

Troubleshooting:

If you mess up the input, you will usually get:

1. A reversed jolt haymaker. (You didn't release the control stick to neutral before pressing 'jump' and then 'special'. Make sure the control stick is neutral before pressing 'jump' and then 'special')
2. A reverse jumping KO punch (You didn't press 'special' quickly enough after pressing 'jump.' You must press 'special' immediately after pressing 'jump.')

Reverse 5: The Mid-Air U-Turn (Turn-Around) K.O. Punch

• While mid-air, Little Mac releases the KO punch in the opposite direction. Best used if right performed right before landing to get the 'grounded KO punch' knockback. S/O to @ sirchadakiss18 for explaining the new reverse KO input.
• Input (while facing right): (While mid-air) Tap control stick in the opposite direction (or if Mac is facing left ) and release back to neutral , then quickly press 'special' . You will not see Mac turn around until 'special' is pressed.

Pros:

1. A practical reverse, as you will likely get your KO punch while in the air stuck in hitlag/knockback, and will have a harder time landing as Mac.
2. Surprise factor, as opponents will probably not expect you to be able to Reverse a KO mid-air.
3. IMO easier to do consistently than "Reverse 3: The Landing B-Reverse K.O. Punch" and just as effective.
4. More generous input window between 'stick' and 'special' than the other reverses.

Cons:

1. If you mess up the input you will probably Side-B and get punished.
2. Less control of KO punch effective range, as you must factor in where you will land when deciding to use it.
3. If you perform too early before landing you may perform the 'aerial KO punch' and get that version's garbage knockback.

Troubleshooting:
If you mess up the input, you will usually get:

1. A straight lunge/KO punch in front of you. (Either A: You held the control stick in the opposite direction too long. Aim for 'one frame'. It must be quickly tapped and returned to neutral before immediately pressing 'special'; or B: You didn't press 'special' quickly enough after releasing the control stick to neutral.)
2. A reversed jolt haymaker. (You pressed 'special' at the same time or did not release the control stick back to neutral before pressing 'special'. Make sure the input goes: tap control stick, return to neutral, then 'special'.)

Reverse 6: The Out-of-Shield U-Turn (Turn-Around) K.O. Punch

• While dropping shield, Little Mac releases the KO punch in the opposite direction. Using the tech from Reversal 5, I discovered you could do the same input OoS.
• Input (while facing right): (While in shield-drop lag) Tap control stick in the opposite direction (or if Mac is facing left ) and release back to neutral , then quickly press 'special' . You may see a frame of Mac turning around before KO punching.

Pros:

1. One of the most practical reverses, as you will probably be crossed up by aerials on shield quite a bit.
2. Surprise factor, as opponents will probably not expect you to be able to Turn-Around KO OoS.
3. Muscle memory will carry over to "Reverse 5: The Mid-Air Turn-Around K.O. Punch".
4. Less likely to mis-input as a forward KO punch than Reverse 2.

Cons:

1. You must be very quick and precise when acting in the shield drop lag buffer window by tapping in the opposite direction, then resetting to neutral and immediately pressing 'special', otherwise you will whiff and be stuck with a lot of endlag with your back facing the opponent.
2. If you accidentally press 'special' while still tilting, you will Side-B, potentially offstage.
3. If you mess up the input and start dashing, you may get stuck in 'dash skid animation' and get punished.
4. More likely to mis-input as a reverse Side-B than Reverse 2.

Troubleshooting:
If you mess up the input, you will usually get:

1. A dash in the opposite direction. (You held the control stick in the opposite direction too long. Aim for 'one frame'. It must be quickly tapped and returned to neutral immediately before pressing 'special'.)
2. A straight lunge/KO punch in front of you. (You smashed the control stick before your shield drop lag buffer would register the control stick direction. Wait a frame or two longer for the shield to drop before tapping the control stick for one frame, releasing to neutral, and immediately pressing 'special'.)
3. A reversed jolt haymaker. (You pressed 'special' at the same time or did not release the control stick back to neutral before pressing 'special'. Make sure the input goes: release shield, tap control stick, return to neutral, then 'special'.)

*New* Reverses 7 and 8: The Out-of-Roll B-Reverse and U-Turn (Turn-Around) K.O. Punches

• While in roll endlag, Little Mac buffers inputs to release a KO punch in the direction of his roll. Using the techs applied above, I discovered you could use either the B-reverse or the U-Turn inputs and get the same result. S/O to Gavi1195 for explaining the B-reverse out-of-roll input.
• 7. B-Reverse Input (while rolling right, intending to KO punch right): (While in roll endlag) Press 'special' and then immediately smash control stick in the direction of Mac's 'back' or in the direction rolled (or if Mac is rolling left ). You should see the Mac end his roll with his back towards the opponent, then you should see Mac doing the punch in the direction of his opponent.
• 8. U-Turn Input (while rolling right, intending to KO punch right): (While in roll endlag) Tap control stick in the direction of Mac's 'back' or in the direction rolled (or if Mac is rolling left ) and release back to neutral as quick as possible, then quickly press 'special' . You should see the Mac end his roll with his back towards the opponent, then you should see Mac doing the punch in the direction of his opponent.

Pros:

1. Generous buffer window, so it is easy to learn either B-reverse or U-Turn inputs. Two of the easier KO reverses to learn, and preference for either the B-Reverse or U-Turn will allow for flexibility and consistency based on player preference.
2. Surprise factor, as opponents will probably not expect you to be able to use KO punch out of a roll with your back towards them.
3. Muscle memory will carry over from any B-reverse or U-Turn KO punch inputs.

Cons:

1. Very situational and one of the most impractical reverses. You commit to rolling into your opponent, and then commit to the 8-9 frames of start-up before the hitbox. (Since you are going to KO in the same direction you're moving, a jump-canceled KO punch out of dash would be much quicker.)
2. Requires a hard read, where you expect your opponent will see you roll into them and attempt to roll behind your roll. Or a hard read where you expect that your opponent will not do anything but stay in shield while you roll in front of them.
3. You must be very quick and precise when acting in the roll endlag buffer window when you input your tech, otherwise you will whiff and be stuck with a lot of endlag with your back facing the opponent.
4. If you accidentally press 'special' while still tilting, you will Side-B, potentially offstage.
5. Very likely to mis-input as a grounded Side-B (to your death) if your input is sloppy.

Troubleshooting:
If you mess up either input, you will usually get:

1. A reversed jolt haymaker. (For B-Reverse you pressed 'special' at the same time as your control stick direction, or you moved your control stick too early. For U-Turn you pressed 'special' at the same time or did not release the control stick back to neutral before pressing 'special'. Make sure the input goes: roll, tap control stick, return to neutral, then 'special'.)
2. A straight lunge/KO punch in front of you, with the opponent behind you. (For B-Reverse either A: You did not input during the endlag buffer window when pressing 'special' and smashing, so your input came out forward; or B: You probably didn't smash the control stick in time. You must smash the control stick in the opposite direction immediately after you press 'special'. For U-Turn you smashed the control stick before your roll endlag buffer would register the control stick direction. Wait a frame or two longer for the roll to continue before tapping the control stick for one frame, releasing to neutral, and immediately pressing 'special'.)

 

[JS2D]

I'm surprised this hasn't received more attention. This is a good summary and answer to the question asked. Great work man! I wasn't aware of two of these, and it's always good to know your options.

 

[aurelius_mac]

This is a damn good explanation of b reversals.

 

[inconspikuous]

@ sirchadakiss18 has a good explanation of the uses of the landing b-reverse KO punch here:

japan can you explain your inputs here? i wasn't able to reverse the KO punch before i touched the ground, but it looks like you are reversing it while still in midair. otherwise, what i think is happening (which is way more technical imo), is that you are fastfalling right before you land, then b-reversing the KO after you touch the ground. help me understand what you're doing in that vid.

 

[shinhed-echi]

Woah, thanks for this thread!

I had no idea there were like 4 different methods to pull this off.
The only times when I side+B off the stage, is when I'm trying to reverse KO Punch, and this will definitely help me avoid any more embarrassing moments.

Anyway, I'll start working on these. Particularly 2 and 4 which I didn't know about. :D

 

[sirchadakiss18]

@ sirchadakiss18 has a good explanation of the uses of the landing b-reverse KO punch here:

japan can you explain your inputs here? i wasn't able to reverse the KO punch before i touched the ground, but it looks like you are reversing it while still in midair. otherwise, what i think is happening (which is way more technical imo), is that you are fastfalling right before you land, then b-reversing the KO after you touch the ground. help me understand what you're doing in that vid.

Actually its a Turn around K.O (U-TURN), tap Direction stick quickly first then Button quickly, sorry for the confusion on the name. it's not a b-reverse.

 

[sirchadakiss18]

Actually its a Turn around K.O (U-TURN), tap Direction stick quickly first then B-Button quickly, sorry for the confusion on the name. it's not a b-reverse.

 

[inconspikuous]

Actually its a Turn around K.O (U-TURN), tap Direction stick quickly first then Button quickly, sorry for the confusion on the name. it's not a b-reverse.

oh really? that works? so i guess there's a new way to reverse the landing KO punch. i'll update the thread. that's really useful information.

 

[inconspikuous]

Thread Updated. Added 2 new Reversal methods. Now there are 6 ways (so far) to reverse the KO punch. Since we now have two different methods of reversing your KO punch out-of-shield and two different methods for reversing your KO punch while landing, reversing your KO punch should become more accessible/viable, as Macs can choose which method they feel more comfortable (and/or consistent) performing.

 

[busken]

Just saw your youtube channel! Awesome stuff! I wish my Wii U gamepad touchscreen wouldn't have broke so I could upload replays. :{

 

[Gavi1195]

Question: Why is there no Roll Reverse KO Video?
I got curious if it could be pulled during a roll today and you can actually Reverse it. Just Press B and quickly slam the stick near the end of the animation (In this case, it has to be toward the direction Mac is rolling since you always put your back toward the direction you roll). Hope this helps out!

 

[inconspikuous]

Thread updated. Reverses 7 and 8, choose between B-reverse or U-Turn out of roll endlag buffered KO punch. IMO performing a reversed KO punch out of roll is one of the riskiest and impractical ways to set up your KO punch, but it is still an option that could theoretically work in the correct circumstances (very hard read).

 

[inconspikuous]

WOW BIG NEWS... using the knowledge that reverses 7 and 8 only work because they are being buffered in the endlag of the roll, I discovered that you can buffer a B-reverse (or U-Turn) out of any move's endlag. Testing on DHD in training, a u-tilt to B-reverse KO is a true combo at 9%-??%. RIGHT NOW TESTING ON SHEIK IN TRAINING, a u-tilt to B-reverse KO is a TRUE COMBO as early as 12% (if you're frame perfect) to 28%. I can't upload replays from training mode, but I'll see if I can record what I'm seeing somehow.

EDIT: here's video proof:

 

[inconspikuous]

triple post. not sure if i was late to the party, but if my last post about u-tilt>b-reverse KO punch true combo was already known, my bad. still good to have video of it with the combo counter.

 

[mitchman77]

Great Explanation! I've been practicing these. The one i'm most consistent with is the out of roll B-reverse. so i'm gonna focus on that one more. (i do use 3ds Controls so the circle pad can be weird sometimes.)

 

[inconspikuous]

Great Explanation! I've been practicing these. The one i'm most consistent with is the out of roll B-reverse. so i'm gonna focus on that one more. (i do use 3ds Controls so the circle pad can be weird sometimes.)

glad you found this helpful, and that you've picked one that you feel you can do consistently. i will note that the out-of-roll b-reverse is one of the less useful ones to actually do in a match, because a jump canceled ko punch will do essentially the same thing (that is, catch an opponent standing in front of you or attempting to roll back) and is faster. however, the timing for the 'b-reverse portion' of it will carry over to any of the other 'b-reverse' ko punches so maybe once you get it really down, you'll be able to do any of the other b-reverse ko punches. good luck!

 

[Gavi1195]

So...I was just doing my homework from university and during the process, I just suddenly thought about B Reverse. I was thinking about some of the cool I did with it in the past...and then it hit me. Could a side step be reversed? (In case your wondering, Side Step is pressing down while Shielding) I then went straight to my 3DS and found out that IT WORKS. Also, I managed to find some extra things about it and about the dash skid animation which I will list below:

1. Side Step can be B-Reversed. (If you follow the rules of Rolling KO Reverse, you will do this one just fine)

2. You can Dash, then Side Step pass the enemy and reverse the KO (This gives the Side Step an offensive tool, however the following must be noted as they are VERY important:
A. This was tested on 1 character only: Zero Suit Samus. It is unknown if bigger character's like Bowser and DDD can be Side Stepped at the moment. [Please do me a solid and check if this works out with the bigger characters inconspikous, University comes first and I don't have much time to write this]
B. The distance required to dash pass the opponent with Side Step is VERY close to the point where Jigglypuff's attacks can reach you, so idk if the offensive option will be used as much as the Jump Cancelled variation. Still good to know it exists)

3. The dash animation cool down can be B-Reversed (You know that when you dash and let go with any character, they go into a skid animation and you can do nothing while it's happening? Yeah, you can actually B-Reverse that. However this technique might be the most unpractical so far of B-Reversing. Not only are you committing to the dash skid lag, but also the KO start up. It's mostly going to be more a mind game sort of thing and it's pretty much going to be reserved as one of your lesser known tricks up your sleeve: Rarely used, but powerful nonetheless. This version of Reverse will most likely be reserved for HARD ASS reads since you can mind game the opponent with it)

Thanks for reading this and hope it helps out. Hopefully the Side Step KO reverse will be more useful than the last one I contributed with. Also, I'm sure that the other 2 methods I mentioned won't be as useful as I would like them to be, I think it's still good to know our options and know that those possibilities exist.

Well, inconspikous, you know what to do

 

[Zoramine Fae]

Was doing friendlies today before a tournament and was on a good streak (14 wins 0 losses, against a variety of the cast and good players) and I got KO Punch, and I recognized the fact he kept rolling in so I just shielded, he rolled behind me, and did the shield reverse KO Punch. God, it felt so sweet.

 

[inconspikuous]

So...I was just doing my homework from university and during the process, I just suddenly thought about B Reverse. I was thinking about some of the cool I did with it in the past...and then it hit me. Could a side step be reversed? (In case your wondering, Side Step is pressing down while Shielding) I then went straight to my 3DS and found out that IT WORKS. Also, I managed to find some extra things about it and about the dash skid animation which I will list below:

1. Side Step can be B-Reversed. (If you follow the rules of Rolling KO Reverse, you will do this one just fine)

2. You can Dash, then Side Step pass the enemy and reverse the KO (This gives the Side Step an offensive tool, however the following must be noted as they are VERY important:
A. This was tested on 1 character only: Zero Suit Samus. It is unknown if bigger character's like Bowser and DDD can be Side Stepped at the moment. [Please do me a solid and check if this works out with the bigger characters inconspikous, University comes first and I don't have much time to write this]
B. The distance required to dash pass the opponent with Side Step is VERY close to the point where Jigglypuff's attacks can reach you, so idk if the offensive option will be used as much as the Jump Cancelled variation. Still good to know it exists)

3. The dash animation cool down can be B-Reversed (You know that when you dash and let go with any character, they go into a skid animation and you can do nothing while it's happening? Yeah, you can actually B-Reverse that. However this technique might be the most unpractical so far of B-Reversing. Not only are you committing to the dash skid lag, but also the KO start up. It's mostly going to be more a mind game sort of thing and it's pretty much going to be reserved as one of your lesser known tricks up your sleeve: Rarely used, but powerful nonetheless. This version of Reverse will most likely be reserved for HARD *** reads since you can mind game the opponent with it)

Thanks for reading this and hope it helps out. Hopefully the Side Step KO reverse will be more useful than the last one I contributed with. Also, I'm sure that the other 2 methods I mentioned won't be as useful as I would like them to be, I think it's still good to know our options and know that those possibilities exist.

Well, inconspikous, you know what to do

nice. like i was saying before, from your last post i realized you can buffer a reversed ko out of any option (including side step). the usefulness of each reversal then just becomes as 'good' as the option you're buffering it out of. ie. if you get the successful side step and the opponent ends up behind you, the 'side step reversal' is the best punish you can get. however, if your side step gets read, then you lose your ko punch -- or your stock.

the dash>side step variant is committing to reading a very specific set of options, most of which are too dangerous to commit to the full endlag and skid spacing. if you think about it theoretically, what would you be dashing>side stepping? you will have to have conditioned your opponent to either A) grab you out of your run (which theoretically is the best read to get the dash>side step ko reversal, but most people will just shield>grab, in which case a jc ko punch is still the better option); or B) use any offensive move incl. jabs to interrupt your run. you lose if they pick a low committal option like jabs or quick IASA frame options like roy's neutral b. you potentially win (big, admittedly) if and only if they use a laggy option and your side step passes the opponent far enough so the ko punch does not whiff on the reversal. to be quite honest, i'm not sure i want to commit the time to attempt getting either of those reads and perfect spacing to work on a CPU. if i had a friend to lab it with, maybe, but not with an unpredictable CPU.

don't get me wrong, i think it's great to have options, and it's a great idea to be able to reverse a ko punch out of a side step. best case scenario is that the opponent attempts a dash grab which you read and side step. but again, it's only because the side step was successful that your punish is successful. and even if your frame 2 invincible side step works in the situation, it's possible there was a better option, like interrupting the dash grab with a frame 3 dtilt>ko because the opponent wasn't quite at ko percent yet.

tl;dr: the side step reversal option is great in the correct situation. don't know if i'll be able to record a replay of it because of how difficult it would be to get the perfect situation from the CPU, which also speaks to how difficult it would be to use on a human opponent.

 

[inconspikuous]

Was doing friendlies today before a tournament and was on a good streak (14 wins 0 losses, against a variety of the cast and good players) and I got KO Punch, and I recognized the fact he kept rolling in so I just shielded, he rolled behind me, and did the shield reverse KO Punch. God, it felt so sweet.

that's the type of moment i hoped this thread would create.