Silent Wolf
...
Nobody uses the shine to its full potential.
I'll start by recognizing some core attributes of the shine:
It comes out faster than any other attack (Rest aside) and can be canceled just as fast. Damage is not a factor in terms of knock-back, this allows you to combo accordingly from it. Hit box is kosher. You can turn around in it. You can use it anywhere. Being able to use it anywhere with Fox's speed pretty much makes it broken.
VS Falco and Fox~
In these match ups, your primary source of combos comes from your grab. Getting grabs is hard in these match ups relative to landing a shine, and seeing as how one slip up can greatly punish you, you want to use the best of what you have. Consider the before mentioned attributes of the shine and realize the application at hand. What you need to do is concentrate on knocking them over with the shine and following up with a grab or another shine or double shine if they're near the edge. The thing is, you aren't limited to just the ground while using the shine, you can find a way to get them from anywhere. You have to get used to knowing when it's safe to poke in with a shine as well as the best ways to cancel it without getting punished and possibly getting in damage from lasers. Camp the platforms and try to find openings. When you do, take control of the match. Fox is fast enough to be able to play it safe and at the same time be able to react to openings. Being able to short hop, shine, second jump, waveland is way too good if you think about it. If the shine hits, waveland towards them, get off the platform, and tech chase or edge guard. If you're fast enough, you can come down on them from the platform with a dair and reset them, which is unlikely. If they tech the shine you will be able to react and retreat. If they shield the shine, you can just waveland away from them and onto the top platform (Assuming there is one. if it's stadium you can waveland and side B to the other side of the stage) then the far platform and laser, just depends on the situation. You could even fall off the platform you wavelanded on first, shoot a laser, and go for another shine. Platforms make Fox 10X better in most cases, this is because they give him the ability to reclaim his second jump by wavelanding, allowing you to use you shine anywhere and both jumps to place it, which isn't at all risky if you know what you're doing. Not only does wavelanding give you your jump back, but enhances your mobility to heights other characters can't compete with when backed up by the shine etc. You can do this tactic from shine out of shield too. If they crouch cancel your shine out of shield, you'll be able to end your second jump with a guaranteed bair. Keep in mind that you don't have to shine from above them to get them to fall, you can graze the platforms with your shine to knock them off and a bunch of other stuff. Focus on ways of sneaking in shines, whether it be wavelanding off a platform shining and retreating or edge canceling into shine, then retreating. A good intrusion is edge canceled dair into shine turn around then put out a bair for defense where you land, or waveland onto a different platform after that. Vs Falco, it's best to stay aggressive though.
As for FD, you can still use the shine to try to get grab combos in, but your options are a lot more limited. Switch it up from putting out nairs and wavelanding after short hop shines followed by second jumps. If the shine hits, continue towards them and waveland etc.
Vs Falcon Marth and Others~
Use the shine the same way for the most part. Instead of tech chasing you can combo by falling through platforms with aerials or whatever fits the situation after connecting the shine. You can up throw, shine under them, and waveland on a platform (Probably a top one) to follow them and catch them with a dair, nair, or uair. Maybe even another shine if they're near the ledge. You can also come under them with the shine in the same fashion after utilts or low uair. If you get good enough you can direct them onto a platform as you're wavelanding with them and shine them again. Seems like more trouble than it's worth, but if mastered it works, people don't expect it as much, nor can they do too much about it assuming you're doing it right. You can mix Fox's shine platform combos up to make combos no one's ever seen. Like this: Fox vs Peach, Yoshi's Story - Peach is on the left platform. From below, jump shine her so the top hits and she goes right, then waveland off as she falls off and bit upward because of where you positioned the shine. Combo that shine into a side b which cancels on the far right platform. Peach goes up a bit. Right as your side b cancels, jump back a bit and do another side B to the left so that it hits Peach and cancels on the top platform. From there combo into uair. Practical? No. Entertaining? Very.
I'm too lazy to go into any more detail. Once you apply the basic idea you can build off that and have fun with it.
I'll start by recognizing some core attributes of the shine:
It comes out faster than any other attack (Rest aside) and can be canceled just as fast. Damage is not a factor in terms of knock-back, this allows you to combo accordingly from it. Hit box is kosher. You can turn around in it. You can use it anywhere. Being able to use it anywhere with Fox's speed pretty much makes it broken.
VS Falco and Fox~
In these match ups, your primary source of combos comes from your grab. Getting grabs is hard in these match ups relative to landing a shine, and seeing as how one slip up can greatly punish you, you want to use the best of what you have. Consider the before mentioned attributes of the shine and realize the application at hand. What you need to do is concentrate on knocking them over with the shine and following up with a grab or another shine or double shine if they're near the edge. The thing is, you aren't limited to just the ground while using the shine, you can find a way to get them from anywhere. You have to get used to knowing when it's safe to poke in with a shine as well as the best ways to cancel it without getting punished and possibly getting in damage from lasers. Camp the platforms and try to find openings. When you do, take control of the match. Fox is fast enough to be able to play it safe and at the same time be able to react to openings. Being able to short hop, shine, second jump, waveland is way too good if you think about it. If the shine hits, waveland towards them, get off the platform, and tech chase or edge guard. If you're fast enough, you can come down on them from the platform with a dair and reset them, which is unlikely. If they tech the shine you will be able to react and retreat. If they shield the shine, you can just waveland away from them and onto the top platform (Assuming there is one. if it's stadium you can waveland and side B to the other side of the stage) then the far platform and laser, just depends on the situation. You could even fall off the platform you wavelanded on first, shoot a laser, and go for another shine. Platforms make Fox 10X better in most cases, this is because they give him the ability to reclaim his second jump by wavelanding, allowing you to use you shine anywhere and both jumps to place it, which isn't at all risky if you know what you're doing. Not only does wavelanding give you your jump back, but enhances your mobility to heights other characters can't compete with when backed up by the shine etc. You can do this tactic from shine out of shield too. If they crouch cancel your shine out of shield, you'll be able to end your second jump with a guaranteed bair. Keep in mind that you don't have to shine from above them to get them to fall, you can graze the platforms with your shine to knock them off and a bunch of other stuff. Focus on ways of sneaking in shines, whether it be wavelanding off a platform shining and retreating or edge canceling into shine, then retreating. A good intrusion is edge canceled dair into shine turn around then put out a bair for defense where you land, or waveland onto a different platform after that. Vs Falco, it's best to stay aggressive though.
As for FD, you can still use the shine to try to get grab combos in, but your options are a lot more limited. Switch it up from putting out nairs and wavelanding after short hop shines followed by second jumps. If the shine hits, continue towards them and waveland etc.
Vs Falcon Marth and Others~
Use the shine the same way for the most part. Instead of tech chasing you can combo by falling through platforms with aerials or whatever fits the situation after connecting the shine. You can up throw, shine under them, and waveland on a platform (Probably a top one) to follow them and catch them with a dair, nair, or uair. Maybe even another shine if they're near the ledge. You can also come under them with the shine in the same fashion after utilts or low uair. If you get good enough you can direct them onto a platform as you're wavelanding with them and shine them again. Seems like more trouble than it's worth, but if mastered it works, people don't expect it as much, nor can they do too much about it assuming you're doing it right. You can mix Fox's shine platform combos up to make combos no one's ever seen. Like this: Fox vs Peach, Yoshi's Story - Peach is on the left platform. From below, jump shine her so the top hits and she goes right, then waveland off as she falls off and bit upward because of where you positioned the shine. Combo that shine into a side b which cancels on the far right platform. Peach goes up a bit. Right as your side b cancels, jump back a bit and do another side B to the left so that it hits Peach and cancels on the top platform. From there combo into uair. Practical? No. Entertaining? Very.
I'm too lazy to go into any more detail. Once you apply the basic idea you can build off that and have fun with it.
