Reldan
Smash Rookie
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2019
- Messages
- 6
As all WFT mains know, there are a ton of tools WFT has that you end up needing to master to elevate the character to High-Tier. She doesn't innately just have a handful of super-strong moves that you can abuse to great success with just a strong grasp of fundamentals. I've been maining her for a few months now (I'd played her in 4, but she just didn't have the moves to compete), and I try to watch every tournament, tech, and combo video I can. From watching the best WFT mains out there I've put together a list of the ten main things I see them do that elevates the character and wanted to share/discuss it here.
1) Excellent use of Header. This is bread and butter, but I certainly see a lot of WFT players who don't use all the angles available, or who don't follow up on hits. Header is scary when the ball is always aimed in such a way that the opponent must respond in some way or get hit, whether it's being used in neutral, advantage, or disadvantage. In addition, the best WFTs are using Header in combos for the damage/spike potential. Header is so diverse in application that I mention more specific uses down below that not everybody takes advantage of even if they do the other Header tricks.
2) Keeping Deep Breathing up. It's easy to get that first DB at the start of each stock, but it can be trickier to do it later in a match. With experience you get a feel for how long the next DB charge is going to take, and ideal use is to use DB to stall in the air to recover from a disadvantage state while also getting the DB activated. This avoids having to waste the opportunity to follow-up on an advantage state just to get a DB in, since WFT shines at advantage. Great WFTs find a way to keep DB up at least half the time of the match.
3) Header Cancel/Rebound abuse. Finding ways to abuse the ball takes the already good projectile to godly level. You don't need to memorize every possible ball cancel hit, but in general I find having these specific ones internalized covers a ton of situations: FTilt (front), Dair, Fair (backwards), UTilt (backwards), jab (both 1 and 2), and Nair. FTilt and Dair are great at sniping or pressuring high and low recoveries. UTilt can be used to set up a ledge trap. Fair, jab, and Nair can work in neutral to have a slightly slower advancing ball cover you closing distance. Getting a second use out of a ball by using something like Dair when it bounces off the opponent really helps her otherwise lacking neutral game. Basically working with the ball to control space (like DeDeDe uses Gordo) rather than just taking potshots.
4) Sniping. This takes a lot of practice to factor in both ball speed and angle and the falling characteristics of the opponent's character. However, if you can get good at this it's invaluable because the cost of going for this is so low. When it works you might just get a kill. If it's at least aimed well, the opponent will have to do something to respond, whether use their jump, use their air dodge, or fast fall to recover low. All of these make your follow-up edge guard better because you've boxed in their options, and you now have ball-less header spikes at your disposal for a couple seconds.
5) Heavy Dair use. I'll be the first to admit I don't use this often enough, but Dair is a great way to cover when you think your opponent will jump, or just to cover times when you need to get over the opponent safely. It's not safe on block, but it's not the best landing attack anyways since you should probably do a falling Nair instead if you're landing on them. But it's her most disjoint aerial which often makes it safer to throw out in neutral than the rest.
6) Heavy Nair use. This is just so much damage on any hit, and comes out so fast that it's a shame when I see a WFT punish something with an FTilt (aside from where it would kill) where they could have instead landed a SH FF Nair combo. Not taking advantage of this is just leaving percent on the table.
7) Heavy Bair use. Absolutely ridiculous aerial that's can be awkward to use offensively unless you get really good at RAR. Best OOS option as long as you can keep track of your facing relative to the opponent. Ideally if you know you're going to try and block an attack you pre-position yourself with your back facing where they'll land so you set this up as your punish. Also good as a spacing tool since you can throw it out and then fade back to avoid getting punished.
8) Sun salutation. Much like keeping DB up, WFT always is stronger and has more options (and limits the opponent's option) when you have a fully charged SS. You're already in a better position even if you never fire it, because there are approaches your opponent will no longer take if they know you have it stored. Also can combo into kills that you wouldn't be able to get without having it stored.
9) Wide variety of ledge tricks. WFT I think has one of, if not the best ledge recovery games. Only the best edge guarders should be able to pressure you, but you don't want to get predictable regardless of opponent. Drop jump Fair, ledge jump Nair, Low Header to regrab, drop jump SS, drop DB regrab (which can be a free DB activation in the right situation), drop wall jump Bair, lagless header, roll FTilt. There are so many options and the great WFTs mix it up to great effect, turning what should be disadvantage around.
10) Spiking. WFT has three different moves that spike and can result in ridiculously early kills. Dair is the most obvious one, but Header as well is super dangerous. WFT has such a great off-the-stage game that in a lot of matchups its worth going for and landing some spikes. Nearly every time you get them off the stage you'll see a great WFT execute a snipe/spike plan.
Overall these are things that I don't necessarily see every WFT do, and I certainly fail to do it all myself although I keep working at it, but I think it's all stuff that separates good WFT play from great WFT play. Because it's always interesting when watching videos and you see a WFT that almost never uses SS, or never even tries to spike, or never punishes with Nair, or only uses basic Header moves, or never does an OOS Bair punish, and I see the opponent just being way less pressured, zoned, and punished than I know could be happening.
1) Excellent use of Header. This is bread and butter, but I certainly see a lot of WFT players who don't use all the angles available, or who don't follow up on hits. Header is scary when the ball is always aimed in such a way that the opponent must respond in some way or get hit, whether it's being used in neutral, advantage, or disadvantage. In addition, the best WFTs are using Header in combos for the damage/spike potential. Header is so diverse in application that I mention more specific uses down below that not everybody takes advantage of even if they do the other Header tricks.
2) Keeping Deep Breathing up. It's easy to get that first DB at the start of each stock, but it can be trickier to do it later in a match. With experience you get a feel for how long the next DB charge is going to take, and ideal use is to use DB to stall in the air to recover from a disadvantage state while also getting the DB activated. This avoids having to waste the opportunity to follow-up on an advantage state just to get a DB in, since WFT shines at advantage. Great WFTs find a way to keep DB up at least half the time of the match.
3) Header Cancel/Rebound abuse. Finding ways to abuse the ball takes the already good projectile to godly level. You don't need to memorize every possible ball cancel hit, but in general I find having these specific ones internalized covers a ton of situations: FTilt (front), Dair, Fair (backwards), UTilt (backwards), jab (both 1 and 2), and Nair. FTilt and Dair are great at sniping or pressuring high and low recoveries. UTilt can be used to set up a ledge trap. Fair, jab, and Nair can work in neutral to have a slightly slower advancing ball cover you closing distance. Getting a second use out of a ball by using something like Dair when it bounces off the opponent really helps her otherwise lacking neutral game. Basically working with the ball to control space (like DeDeDe uses Gordo) rather than just taking potshots.
4) Sniping. This takes a lot of practice to factor in both ball speed and angle and the falling characteristics of the opponent's character. However, if you can get good at this it's invaluable because the cost of going for this is so low. When it works you might just get a kill. If it's at least aimed well, the opponent will have to do something to respond, whether use their jump, use their air dodge, or fast fall to recover low. All of these make your follow-up edge guard better because you've boxed in their options, and you now have ball-less header spikes at your disposal for a couple seconds.
5) Heavy Dair use. I'll be the first to admit I don't use this often enough, but Dair is a great way to cover when you think your opponent will jump, or just to cover times when you need to get over the opponent safely. It's not safe on block, but it's not the best landing attack anyways since you should probably do a falling Nair instead if you're landing on them. But it's her most disjoint aerial which often makes it safer to throw out in neutral than the rest.
6) Heavy Nair use. This is just so much damage on any hit, and comes out so fast that it's a shame when I see a WFT punish something with an FTilt (aside from where it would kill) where they could have instead landed a SH FF Nair combo. Not taking advantage of this is just leaving percent on the table.
7) Heavy Bair use. Absolutely ridiculous aerial that's can be awkward to use offensively unless you get really good at RAR. Best OOS option as long as you can keep track of your facing relative to the opponent. Ideally if you know you're going to try and block an attack you pre-position yourself with your back facing where they'll land so you set this up as your punish. Also good as a spacing tool since you can throw it out and then fade back to avoid getting punished.
8) Sun salutation. Much like keeping DB up, WFT always is stronger and has more options (and limits the opponent's option) when you have a fully charged SS. You're already in a better position even if you never fire it, because there are approaches your opponent will no longer take if they know you have it stored. Also can combo into kills that you wouldn't be able to get without having it stored.
9) Wide variety of ledge tricks. WFT I think has one of, if not the best ledge recovery games. Only the best edge guarders should be able to pressure you, but you don't want to get predictable regardless of opponent. Drop jump Fair, ledge jump Nair, Low Header to regrab, drop jump SS, drop DB regrab (which can be a free DB activation in the right situation), drop wall jump Bair, lagless header, roll FTilt. There are so many options and the great WFTs mix it up to great effect, turning what should be disadvantage around.
10) Spiking. WFT has three different moves that spike and can result in ridiculously early kills. Dair is the most obvious one, but Header as well is super dangerous. WFT has such a great off-the-stage game that in a lot of matchups its worth going for and landing some spikes. Nearly every time you get them off the stage you'll see a great WFT execute a snipe/spike plan.
Overall these are things that I don't necessarily see every WFT do, and I certainly fail to do it all myself although I keep working at it, but I think it's all stuff that separates good WFT play from great WFT play. Because it's always interesting when watching videos and you see a WFT that almost never uses SS, or never even tries to spike, or never punishes with Nair, or only uses basic Header moves, or never does an OOS Bair punish, and I see the opponent just being way less pressured, zoned, and punished than I know could be happening.
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