Safest Recovery Trajectory

[Conda]

For newer players and also players learning about the new ledge mechanics, it's a good idea to talk about recovery trajectories.

The safest trajectory to recover from is very matchup specific. Sometimes having a vertical recovery is helpful because, if you are gimped or use aerials off the stage to edgeguard, you're going to want to get back up to the ledge. They are also very helpful if you've been spiked and are trying to recover from deep down below.

When you CHOOSE to jump off the stage, you're generally going to end up below the ledge. However, when you've been knocked off, you'll likely be above the ledge. Therefore, horizontal recoveries are generally better for returning to the stage after you've been knocked off.

Which recovery angle do you find yourself valuing more than the other?

 

[Amazing Ampharos]

IMO the most important concept is ledge sweetspotting. The first time you grab the ledge after being knocked off-stage, you'll have a lot of invincibility right as you grab the ledge, and from the ledge, you have your best chance to get back on-stage. Sweetspotting the ledge means grabbing the ledge while in the middle of executing your up special or other recovery move so you grab the ledge without leaving yourself open or giving your opponent undue extra time to punish you. Figure out what locations off-stage map to instant ledge sweetspots, and be as tricky as possible going to those locations by using airdodges, aerial attacks, specials that mess with your momentum, or whatever else you have. For characters with simple recovery moves like Marth or Mario, this is a pretty simple calculation. For characters with directable recoveries like Wii Fit Trainer or Duck Hunt, you'll have a bigger range of areas and need to direct yourself appropriately but should think of it as a case of you just having a bigger target and then just learn the execution of recovering from every location within the area. For characters with extremely directable recoveries like Fox or Ness that gain that flexibility at the cost of speed, it's a very important skill to be able to sweetspot from a wide array of angles since the natural sloth of your recovery will give people time to punish if you drop down to the "easy" 45 degree angle below the ledge to recover every time, but if you are willing to make recoveries from a large array of angles as you find openings, you'll be really hard to keep off. Do be aware that Little Mac doesn't sweetspot ledges and has to be... very careful off-stage, and further be aware that some characters like R.O.B. or Jigglypuff rely on very different thinking to recover but that most of those characters actually have overall enhanced options from the default I presented here so it should be easier to figure out with them than with traditional recoveries.

Being able to recover well is a hugely important topic though, and while there's a lot more to say (like deciding when it's a good idea to skip the ledge and risk landing directly on-stage), I think what I've posted here is a good first step for newer players to get comfortable with.

 

[Shiliski]

If you only have one decent recovery move, you're going to want it to be an upward diagonal trajectory. Whether you're above the ledge or below it, upward diagonal is going to help you get back on stage.

The absolute best recoveries, IMO, are stuff like Zelda's, Palutena's, Pit's, etc. where you can actually change the trajectory to be exactly what you need it to be.

The worst are ones like Little Mac where you're either going straight up or straight to the side and if the recovery you've chosen isn't good enough then you're down a stock.

 

[popsofctown]

If you recover low against some characters with horizontal recovery, it's too risky for them to go offstage and harass you.