ShowTime6Fro
Smash Rookie
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2014
- Messages
- 12
This is mainly just all of the things I've noticed that I hope might help some other Shulk mains out there so without further adieu.
Shulk
Shulk is a great character because of his access to range, power, and speed. His Monado Arts make him a diverse character due to the properties they hold. His aerial movement, off stage game, and ground game get major improvements due to these Arts, but which ones are best catering to these attributes of his
character.
Monado Arts
His Monado Arts are the most important part of his play style and the most fun. The Arts are selected by pressing the b button any number of times until the symbol that represents the Art you want will appear above your head, and after about a half a second to a second it will be selected. One thing to note is that his arts can be canceled by pressing the b button three times, but once you use an art it can't be used again for while so be aware of the art that you pick. With that little bit of knowledge, let’s go over the basics.
Jump:
Increase - Higher Jumps
Decrease - Lower Defense
His Jump Art is incredible for recovery and allows for a bit of boost when it comes to off game stage safety. You can go practically anywhere and still make it back safely to stage. It increases his aerial mobility as well as makes him lighter. It can be used on stage as a tool to evade, but that can be risky as his Defense is lowered so he is taking a lot more damage so you have to be careful when you use this on stage.
Speed:
Increase - Faster Movement
Decrease - Lower Jumps, Weaker Attacks
The Speed Art is a great option to use in neutral because of how much easier it is to move in and out of your opponents range. It allows you to run in and attack as seen fit for the situation. And, with the weakness of lower jumps you can now do auto canceled aerials close to the ground. It is a really great Art but, like with all the Arts, timing is everything. ( In my personal opinion this is the second best of the Arts, behind Smash, because it is versatile and viable at all percents, but that is only my opinion.)
Shield:
Increase - Higher Defense
Decrease - Lower Jumps, Weaker Attacks, Slower Movement
This Art is probably one that you will use the least in most of your match-ups, but it still is viable as a tool. Mainly you would use it when you are close to death, the 90 -110% percent range would be most optimal for when to activate Shield. Be wary of the lower jumps though because that affects his recovery, so if you get caught up off stage you can pretty much get killed easy. The only real utility of it is to prevent death, so far, so don’t try and use it at 0% because that is just a waste of an Art (again in my opinion).
Buster:
Increase - Stronger Attacks
Decrease - Weaker Launch Ability, Lower Defense
Buster Art (the combo Art should actually be its name) is the third best Art out of the five. It is best used with down tilt and uptilt because those are his fastest moves and with the lack of knockback they now set up for follow-ups. F-air and N-air are also good moves to use because they can set up for more grounded follow-ups. Don’t use this when your opponent is getting close to the 90 % range because at this point it would be better to just space and then set up for a kill move.
Smash:
Increase - Stronger Launch Ability
Decrease - Weaker Attacks, Lower Launch Resistance, Lower Defense
Smash Art is probably the best of the Arts because it’s great for revenge kill and killing in general, and in a game where kill options are treasured it definitely helps Shulk get up the tier list. The Smash Art is better activated around the 95 - 120 % range because, reasonably, this is where most characters die, with the exception of those extra heavy characters (ex. Bowser). Now, even though it’s boost is very good, its nerfs require attention. If you get caught in a bad position while changing to this Art at high percents, you are likely to die right there, so be careful with this and make sure to get the set up first before switching.
It is also imperative to note that the different arts are SITUATIONAL AS HECK. I have only given the main usage for the arts so remember to be creative.
Moves:
Now that the main mechanic of Shulk has been addressed let’s move onto his moveset.
Neutral Air:
One of his best aerials by far, why you might ask, well here is the reason. Shulk’s N-Air can combo into itself at low percents with a short hop fast fall auto cancel, or short hop auto cancel. It’s hit boxes also work well as a good edgegard because the the start to the top of the animation send the target forward. It also works well when people are directly behind/underneath you because the animation starts behind/underneath Shulk. In conjunction with the Speed art you can approach with short hop N-Air and D-Tilt after for a follow up or roll back if they are shielding to avoid a possible punish.
Forward Air:
Shulk’s F-Air is a very good kill move off stage and acts as an anti-approach/pressure tool. The range on it is extremely safe, when maximized. It can also gimp characters easily by doing a run off F-Air, and when combined with the Smash Art it will send opponents to far off to recover. However, it has a lot of lag when it is not auto-canceled within the startup of the animation so be aware that it can be punished. Something important to note is the area it covers. F-Air reaches above and below him, these are also the start and end points respectively so you can use F-Air to hit someone just below or just above you.
Back Air:
It is so hard to be a Shulk main when he can watch his own back in an instant. Shulk’s B-Air is an excellent kill move and has a good reverse hitbox to that means he has a line of death when you use his B-Air, but (because there is always a catch) it comes out very slow which makes it difficult to use close to the ground and also harder to hit off stage. You have to predict where they are going to be off stage in order to hit it and on stage it is only good to use as a tool to catch your opponent off guard.
Down Air:
This is by far one of the better D-Airs I’ve seen solely because it is the only one I can hit more than once (sad boys), but aside from that it is a spike when sweet spotted (which I believe is the second hit at the bottom/middle of the sword) and can also send outward when the side of the hitbox is used. Other than that it doesn’t have much other utility on stage and it is too laggy to do out of shield and is definitely not a good approach option, so for the time being use it as an off the stage kill move or edge guard.
Tilts:
Forward Tilt:
F-Tilt is an edgeguard and a good tool to catch rolls as well. In conjunction with the Smash art it can be a good kill move. Pivot F-Tilt is good to mix up on people that like are coming down from the air. It is a laggy move so don’t go for two consecutively because you will only get grabbed or hit with some sort of punish.
Up Tilt:
His best tilt by far because of how often Shulk can get people above him. It also can catch people standing in front of him because of its hitbox which intern set’s up for another U-Tilt. U-Tilt is also a exceptional anti-air because of it’s hitbox, but in neutral this is undoubtedly unsafe so don’t even try to use it in neutral. On platform stages, like battlefield, U-Tilt can cover the whole platform making it an even better move.
Down Tilt:
D-Tilt is a good option to shield poke and can also be used after a fast falling aerial follow up, but don’t do it on shield too often because it can be punished with anything out of shield. That aside, D-Tilt can be used as an edge guard tool against telegraphed recovery or for people that hang on the ledge to long. In conjunction with the Buster Art you can follow up D-Tilt with an aerial, namely F-Air or N-Air. You could possibly follow up with F-Tilt or Dash Attack but I’ve never tried those.
Standard Moves:
Dash Attack:
Dash Attack is not that good of a move because of how telegraphed it is and how easy it is to punish. It only has two good uses which are, sending off stage and a mix up approach. Dash Attack does have good enough launch power to set up for an edge guard position and if you constantly approach with (for example) F-Air or N-Air you could try to fake them out with a tomahawk or just straight up approach (just giving ideas, though they might not be the best).
Jab and Jab combo:
Jab on it’s own is only good against bad approach options like sonic’s spin-dash (which is interrupted by pretty much everything). But, his Jab combo is relatively good, as far as follow-ups go. If you use the Buster Art with his Jab Combo then you can follow up guaranteed, at mid to high percents. These follow-ups are only guaranteed on characters that don't float out of your jab range. Characters like Jigglypuff won't give you much of a follow up because they float to far away.
Grab and Throws:
Shulk’s grab range is average in comparison to other grabs but it is still pretty good, and his grab out of shield is a great option to counter approaches. Shulk gets follow ups out of his down throw and up throw at low percents and his forward and back throw at the ledge set up for easy edge guards. Apart from true follow ups you can apply pressure from a throw by faking a follow up. One way to do this is to run in the direction of you opponents trajectory and simply stand there. This can set you up to bait out an air dodge and then punish with an F-Smash, or when you get under them shield and wait for a counter attack, then grab out of shield and get another throw. Other than that his options out of his throws most of the time are limited.
Smash Attacks:
Forward Smash:
One thing that is important to understand is that Shulk’s F-Smash has two hits. When it comes to F-Smash you have to space it just right to maximize damage and knockback. Since F-Smash has two hits each hit has it’s own value. The first hit has slight knockback and is mainly is used to give enough hit stun to allow the second hit to connect, but if you hit with the top of the hitbox it will send the target just far enough up to make them avoid the second hit. If you use the tip hitbox on the first hit the second hit will be less effective and doesn't give the best results. If you hit in the optimal spot with the first hitbox, the best hit on the first hitbox is around the middle of the sword, then you will get the best knock back on the second hit usually killing at around 120~130%, and with the Smash Art it will kill much more solidly at around 115%. Now the second hit is much stronger than the first and has all of the knockback. This hit is the blue beam that comes out of the sword. All of the hits that you could get will either kill or set up for a kill off stage at high percents. And since it is it’s own hit that has better range than the first, you could hit just the second hit while edge guarding. In general, F-Smash is good for edge guarding and is Shulk’s best kill move.
Down Smash:
D-Smash is only good for reads and roll spammers, because of how laggy it is at the end, similar to Roy’s D-Smash. It's kill potential is lacking, but I do not want this to discourage all of you out there from using it. It has good range and just like any move there is a time and a place, it is just up to the user to decide when that is. That aside it has a lot of range and is still a good utility, but not a good kill move.
Up Smash:
U-Smash is situational for reads, high recovery, or people that don’t know how to D.I. (Vector) Up throws. It has good kill power on most characters at around 115%. It is a good kill move and it has as much range as Melee Marth’s, or at least close to. Now U-Smash has two hitboxes and if the first one hits the second one is guaranteed to hit and if you miss the first it doesn’t matter. The first hit is solely to set up for the second, it gives no knockback but still does damage.
Specials:
Neutral Special:
I already explained this in the beginning so scroll up to the top to see it but just to reiterate, every Art is situational so I would recommend being creative.
Side Special:
The Backslash (a.k.a. Side Special) is unique in it’s properties because it is more effective when done behind an opponent rather than in front. It also is slightly longer than people realize and can catch people off guard. The best way I think this move should be used as an edge guard tool or for a safe way back to stage. It is good for edge guarding because of how long it is and it provides a punish for missed sweet spots. I know I said it was a good tool to get back on stage but don’t use it all the time because it is easy to punish. Also, don’t do it too high above the stage because then it is too telegraphed, it is truly just a mix up.
Up Special:
Shulk's Up-B is good to use for both recovery, more dominantly, and at high percents killing, in conjunction (most often) with the Smash Art. It is similar to Marth's Dolphin Slash in the sense that it (on its own) doesn't have much horizontal movement, but vertically, especially when used with the jump or speed art, Shulk's Up-B becomes much better. One thing that is important to state is that Shulk's Up-B has two hits, the first is the initial vertical slash. It has good range on it's hit box and, unless you are directly under the stage, will not auto sweet spot like many other Up-B's. The second hit is initiated by pressing the B button again after the first Up-B input is done. This second hit gives you an extra boost upward and/or forward, but the best part of the second hit lies in it's range and knock back. It has great reach and can cover your butt when your coming back to the stage. It doesn't start killing until around 140% on most characters (by itself), but it does send them far enough away to allow you to, at low percent, grab ledge and get back on stage fine, but at high percent (like 120) it sends opponents to the other side of stage which gives you a good amount of time to collect yourself and set up your Monado Arts or try to get some sort of run down follow-up.
Down Special:
Shulk’s Down Special is a counter, but it is a little different than most. Shulk’s counter has a range to it that is quite deceptive. The counter generates a blue field in which the target, if they hit Shulk directly, will get hit, but his counter is so big, because of the range of his sword, that people outside the blue field will still get hit. But, it also has a second "form" that can be committed by holding forward in the direction Shulk gets hit. This second form is much faster than the first and can kill fairly well. It also last for a long time so people who think you are out of the counter frames are sorely mistaken. But, don't be allured by such sweet words, because the more you use it in succession (within 10 seconds of the the last counter) the lower the frames you can use counter drop, but it is not a continuous decline, at least not to my testing/knowledge, and it's full glory will be returned within 18 seconds( if you spam).
The End:
So ultimately Shulk is going to require a little bit of creativity in order to use him properly. He is also going to need basic fundamentals like spacing in order to be most effective, and with that I hope that I help any Shulk mains out there understand the character just a little bit better if even at all. Thank you for your time, leave questions in the comments and if I don’t someone else will answer them. I will also update this information when ever I can to help as much as I can.
Shulk
Shulk is a great character because of his access to range, power, and speed. His Monado Arts make him a diverse character due to the properties they hold. His aerial movement, off stage game, and ground game get major improvements due to these Arts, but which ones are best catering to these attributes of his
character.
Monado Arts
His Monado Arts are the most important part of his play style and the most fun. The Arts are selected by pressing the b button any number of times until the symbol that represents the Art you want will appear above your head, and after about a half a second to a second it will be selected. One thing to note is that his arts can be canceled by pressing the b button three times, but once you use an art it can't be used again for while so be aware of the art that you pick. With that little bit of knowledge, let’s go over the basics.
Jump:
Increase - Higher Jumps
Decrease - Lower Defense
His Jump Art is incredible for recovery and allows for a bit of boost when it comes to off game stage safety. You can go practically anywhere and still make it back safely to stage. It increases his aerial mobility as well as makes him lighter. It can be used on stage as a tool to evade, but that can be risky as his Defense is lowered so he is taking a lot more damage so you have to be careful when you use this on stage.
Speed:
Increase - Faster Movement
Decrease - Lower Jumps, Weaker Attacks
The Speed Art is a great option to use in neutral because of how much easier it is to move in and out of your opponents range. It allows you to run in and attack as seen fit for the situation. And, with the weakness of lower jumps you can now do auto canceled aerials close to the ground. It is a really great Art but, like with all the Arts, timing is everything. ( In my personal opinion this is the second best of the Arts, behind Smash, because it is versatile and viable at all percents, but that is only my opinion.)
Shield:
Increase - Higher Defense
Decrease - Lower Jumps, Weaker Attacks, Slower Movement
This Art is probably one that you will use the least in most of your match-ups, but it still is viable as a tool. Mainly you would use it when you are close to death, the 90 -110% percent range would be most optimal for when to activate Shield. Be wary of the lower jumps though because that affects his recovery, so if you get caught up off stage you can pretty much get killed easy. The only real utility of it is to prevent death, so far, so don’t try and use it at 0% because that is just a waste of an Art (again in my opinion).
Buster:
Increase - Stronger Attacks
Decrease - Weaker Launch Ability, Lower Defense
Buster Art (the combo Art should actually be its name) is the third best Art out of the five. It is best used with down tilt and uptilt because those are his fastest moves and with the lack of knockback they now set up for follow-ups. F-air and N-air are also good moves to use because they can set up for more grounded follow-ups. Don’t use this when your opponent is getting close to the 90 % range because at this point it would be better to just space and then set up for a kill move.
Smash:
Increase - Stronger Launch Ability
Decrease - Weaker Attacks, Lower Launch Resistance, Lower Defense
Smash Art is probably the best of the Arts because it’s great for revenge kill and killing in general, and in a game where kill options are treasured it definitely helps Shulk get up the tier list. The Smash Art is better activated around the 95 - 120 % range because, reasonably, this is where most characters die, with the exception of those extra heavy characters (ex. Bowser). Now, even though it’s boost is very good, its nerfs require attention. If you get caught in a bad position while changing to this Art at high percents, you are likely to die right there, so be careful with this and make sure to get the set up first before switching.
It is also imperative to note that the different arts are SITUATIONAL AS HECK. I have only given the main usage for the arts so remember to be creative.
Moves:
Now that the main mechanic of Shulk has been addressed let’s move onto his moveset.
Neutral Air:
One of his best aerials by far, why you might ask, well here is the reason. Shulk’s N-Air can combo into itself at low percents with a short hop fast fall auto cancel, or short hop auto cancel. It’s hit boxes also work well as a good edgegard because the the start to the top of the animation send the target forward. It also works well when people are directly behind/underneath you because the animation starts behind/underneath Shulk. In conjunction with the Speed art you can approach with short hop N-Air and D-Tilt after for a follow up or roll back if they are shielding to avoid a possible punish.
Forward Air:
Shulk’s F-Air is a very good kill move off stage and acts as an anti-approach/pressure tool. The range on it is extremely safe, when maximized. It can also gimp characters easily by doing a run off F-Air, and when combined with the Smash Art it will send opponents to far off to recover. However, it has a lot of lag when it is not auto-canceled within the startup of the animation so be aware that it can be punished. Something important to note is the area it covers. F-Air reaches above and below him, these are also the start and end points respectively so you can use F-Air to hit someone just below or just above you.
Back Air:
It is so hard to be a Shulk main when he can watch his own back in an instant. Shulk’s B-Air is an excellent kill move and has a good reverse hitbox to that means he has a line of death when you use his B-Air, but (because there is always a catch) it comes out very slow which makes it difficult to use close to the ground and also harder to hit off stage. You have to predict where they are going to be off stage in order to hit it and on stage it is only good to use as a tool to catch your opponent off guard.
Down Air:
This is by far one of the better D-Airs I’ve seen solely because it is the only one I can hit more than once (sad boys), but aside from that it is a spike when sweet spotted (which I believe is the second hit at the bottom/middle of the sword) and can also send outward when the side of the hitbox is used. Other than that it doesn’t have much other utility on stage and it is too laggy to do out of shield and is definitely not a good approach option, so for the time being use it as an off the stage kill move or edge guard.
Tilts:
Forward Tilt:
F-Tilt is an edgeguard and a good tool to catch rolls as well. In conjunction with the Smash art it can be a good kill move. Pivot F-Tilt is good to mix up on people that like are coming down from the air. It is a laggy move so don’t go for two consecutively because you will only get grabbed or hit with some sort of punish.
Up Tilt:
His best tilt by far because of how often Shulk can get people above him. It also can catch people standing in front of him because of its hitbox which intern set’s up for another U-Tilt. U-Tilt is also a exceptional anti-air because of it’s hitbox, but in neutral this is undoubtedly unsafe so don’t even try to use it in neutral. On platform stages, like battlefield, U-Tilt can cover the whole platform making it an even better move.
Down Tilt:
D-Tilt is a good option to shield poke and can also be used after a fast falling aerial follow up, but don’t do it on shield too often because it can be punished with anything out of shield. That aside, D-Tilt can be used as an edge guard tool against telegraphed recovery or for people that hang on the ledge to long. In conjunction with the Buster Art you can follow up D-Tilt with an aerial, namely F-Air or N-Air. You could possibly follow up with F-Tilt or Dash Attack but I’ve never tried those.
Standard Moves:
Dash Attack:
Dash Attack is not that good of a move because of how telegraphed it is and how easy it is to punish. It only has two good uses which are, sending off stage and a mix up approach. Dash Attack does have good enough launch power to set up for an edge guard position and if you constantly approach with (for example) F-Air or N-Air you could try to fake them out with a tomahawk or just straight up approach (just giving ideas, though they might not be the best).
Jab and Jab combo:
Jab on it’s own is only good against bad approach options like sonic’s spin-dash (which is interrupted by pretty much everything). But, his Jab combo is relatively good, as far as follow-ups go. If you use the Buster Art with his Jab Combo then you can follow up guaranteed, at mid to high percents. These follow-ups are only guaranteed on characters that don't float out of your jab range. Characters like Jigglypuff won't give you much of a follow up because they float to far away.
Grab and Throws:
Shulk’s grab range is average in comparison to other grabs but it is still pretty good, and his grab out of shield is a great option to counter approaches. Shulk gets follow ups out of his down throw and up throw at low percents and his forward and back throw at the ledge set up for easy edge guards. Apart from true follow ups you can apply pressure from a throw by faking a follow up. One way to do this is to run in the direction of you opponents trajectory and simply stand there. This can set you up to bait out an air dodge and then punish with an F-Smash, or when you get under them shield and wait for a counter attack, then grab out of shield and get another throw. Other than that his options out of his throws most of the time are limited.
Smash Attacks:
Forward Smash:
One thing that is important to understand is that Shulk’s F-Smash has two hits. When it comes to F-Smash you have to space it just right to maximize damage and knockback. Since F-Smash has two hits each hit has it’s own value. The first hit has slight knockback and is mainly is used to give enough hit stun to allow the second hit to connect, but if you hit with the top of the hitbox it will send the target just far enough up to make them avoid the second hit. If you use the tip hitbox on the first hit the second hit will be less effective and doesn't give the best results. If you hit in the optimal spot with the first hitbox, the best hit on the first hitbox is around the middle of the sword, then you will get the best knock back on the second hit usually killing at around 120~130%, and with the Smash Art it will kill much more solidly at around 115%. Now the second hit is much stronger than the first and has all of the knockback. This hit is the blue beam that comes out of the sword. All of the hits that you could get will either kill or set up for a kill off stage at high percents. And since it is it’s own hit that has better range than the first, you could hit just the second hit while edge guarding. In general, F-Smash is good for edge guarding and is Shulk’s best kill move.
Down Smash:
D-Smash is only good for reads and roll spammers, because of how laggy it is at the end, similar to Roy’s D-Smash. It's kill potential is lacking, but I do not want this to discourage all of you out there from using it. It has good range and just like any move there is a time and a place, it is just up to the user to decide when that is. That aside it has a lot of range and is still a good utility, but not a good kill move.
Up Smash:
U-Smash is situational for reads, high recovery, or people that don’t know how to D.I. (Vector) Up throws. It has good kill power on most characters at around 115%. It is a good kill move and it has as much range as Melee Marth’s, or at least close to. Now U-Smash has two hitboxes and if the first one hits the second one is guaranteed to hit and if you miss the first it doesn’t matter. The first hit is solely to set up for the second, it gives no knockback but still does damage.
Specials:
Neutral Special:
I already explained this in the beginning so scroll up to the top to see it but just to reiterate, every Art is situational so I would recommend being creative.
Side Special:
The Backslash (a.k.a. Side Special) is unique in it’s properties because it is more effective when done behind an opponent rather than in front. It also is slightly longer than people realize and can catch people off guard. The best way I think this move should be used as an edge guard tool or for a safe way back to stage. It is good for edge guarding because of how long it is and it provides a punish for missed sweet spots. I know I said it was a good tool to get back on stage but don’t use it all the time because it is easy to punish. Also, don’t do it too high above the stage because then it is too telegraphed, it is truly just a mix up.
Up Special:
Shulk's Up-B is good to use for both recovery, more dominantly, and at high percents killing, in conjunction (most often) with the Smash Art. It is similar to Marth's Dolphin Slash in the sense that it (on its own) doesn't have much horizontal movement, but vertically, especially when used with the jump or speed art, Shulk's Up-B becomes much better. One thing that is important to state is that Shulk's Up-B has two hits, the first is the initial vertical slash. It has good range on it's hit box and, unless you are directly under the stage, will not auto sweet spot like many other Up-B's. The second hit is initiated by pressing the B button again after the first Up-B input is done. This second hit gives you an extra boost upward and/or forward, but the best part of the second hit lies in it's range and knock back. It has great reach and can cover your butt when your coming back to the stage. It doesn't start killing until around 140% on most characters (by itself), but it does send them far enough away to allow you to, at low percent, grab ledge and get back on stage fine, but at high percent (like 120) it sends opponents to the other side of stage which gives you a good amount of time to collect yourself and set up your Monado Arts or try to get some sort of run down follow-up.
Down Special:
Shulk’s Down Special is a counter, but it is a little different than most. Shulk’s counter has a range to it that is quite deceptive. The counter generates a blue field in which the target, if they hit Shulk directly, will get hit, but his counter is so big, because of the range of his sword, that people outside the blue field will still get hit. But, it also has a second "form" that can be committed by holding forward in the direction Shulk gets hit. This second form is much faster than the first and can kill fairly well. It also last for a long time so people who think you are out of the counter frames are sorely mistaken. But, don't be allured by such sweet words, because the more you use it in succession (within 10 seconds of the the last counter) the lower the frames you can use counter drop, but it is not a continuous decline, at least not to my testing/knowledge, and it's full glory will be returned within 18 seconds( if you spam).
The End:
So ultimately Shulk is going to require a little bit of creativity in order to use him properly. He is also going to need basic fundamentals like spacing in order to be most effective, and with that I hope that I help any Shulk mains out there understand the character just a little bit better if even at all. Thank you for your time, leave questions in the comments and if I don’t someone else will answer them. I will also update this information when ever I can to help as much as I can.
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