Shulk Moveset Analysis/Speculation/Discussion (Phase 1/PLEASE READ OP)

[Hokori]

Let's discuss all things pertaining to Shulk's moves here. Will include some of the things that we can unanimously agree upon (for the most part) in the OP.

**This will be Phase 1, as I'd later like to see this thread becoming the spot for Gameplay/Strategies after release (though I may end up making a new thread for that purpose depending on possible clutter issues)**

Here's the trailer (I'll keep it outside of spoiler tags for now):

1) Neutral B:

Shulk's Neutral B (tentative title Monado Art) is one of the most interesting moves in the Smash Brothers series. This move cycles between 5 different possible modes

• Monado Jump: Makes his legs glow green, granting Shulk much higher jumps, but causes his defense to lower
• Monado Speed: Makes his feet glow blue, granting Shulk much faster movement speed, but lowers his attack strength
• Monado Shield: Makes his body glow yellow, granting Shulk improved defenses, but lowering his movement speed
• Monado Buster: Makes the Monado glow purple, granting Shulk stronger damaging attacks, but reducing the knockback power of his attacks
• Monado Smash: Makes his hands glow red, granting Shulk much stronger knockback, but reduces the damage of his attacks, as well as makes it easier for him to get launched as well.

Monado Art is activated through using the B button. Once pressed, it'll cycle in the order of Jump>Speed>Shield>Buster>Smash through a visible Kanji above Shulk's head. Once the selected art is kept over long enough, the Kanji disappears and Shulk gains the effect of the mode picked. Selecting a mode appears to be able to be done as long as you have control over your character (so you can't switch while attacking, rolling, etc; that puts your character into a forced animation, but this isn't verified yet)

A mode lasts about 7-8 in game seconds before it runs out, a grey Kanji appearing to signify this, as well as his body to stop glowing. Once the mode is deactivated, it goes on a cooldown (similar to using an art in Xenoblade) where you cannot reactivate it until this internal cooldown is over. As well, current evidence points to being UNABLE to switch modes once one is activated, making you locked until the period of time the mode ends, allowing you to pick another of the 4 Monado Arts. Meaning you need to pick the Monado Art for the situation, and fully take advantage of the brief time you have.

2) Up B:
Air Slash is a relatively simple move. Like Marth's Up B, it sends Shulk upwards at a similar angle.

*If you push the button, he can unleash a follow up attack*

3) Side B:
Back Slash hops Shulk forward, allowing him to go over certain projectiles and low attacks, unleashing a large overhead swing. While a strong attack on it's own, it's strength goes up if it hits the opponent in the back.

4) Down B:
Vision is one of Shulk's most iconic powers. Shulk enters a counter state, where he "foresees" an attack. A sort of future Shulk shadow will get hit by the attack, while the present real Shulk avoids the attack and counterattacks while time is slowed down for his opponent that triggered the move.

*The duration of each counter becomes steadily shorter each time it is used*

Courtesy @ Neo Zero for the Write Up

 

[Neo Zero]

Jab Combo:

Forward Smash:

Back Air:

Up Smash:

Down Smash:

Up Tilt:

Neutral B-Monado Jump:

Neutral B-Monado Speed:

Neutral B-Monado Shield:

Neutral B-Monado Buster/Dtilt+Fair:

Neutral B-Monado Smash/Tilted F-Smash:

Up B-Air Slash:

Side B-Back Slash:

Down B-Vision (Delayed):

Down B-Vision (Immediate):

Final Smash-Chain Attack:

Credit @ GMSTerror for making these.

 

[Solfiner]

Yes! Nice job sniping it @ Hokori ! His moveset is so much better in action than I ever would have anticipated. He seems like a really good poking character in my opinion.

 

[~ Gheb ~]

Utilt looks ridiculous.

 

[Solfiner]

Hey Solf, mind if I have second post as a placeholder?

Sure thing.

 

[GMSTerror]

[List of Monado Arts]
翔 (Jump): higher jumps, lower defense.
疾 (Speed): faster movement, weaker attacks.
盾(Shield): higher defense, slower movement.
斬(Buster): stronger attacks, weaker launch ability.
撃(Smash): Stronger launch ability, weaker attacks, lower defense against launching.

Sakurai confirmed the stat changes for his Monado Art changes/stances/whatever. This is looking pretty technical as far as I know.

 

[Hokori]

Anyone up for making GIFs of Shulk's moves that were shown in the trailer? I'll be heading off to class soon and then I have a tournament that'll last awhile a bit later in the day, so it'll be nice to see what I come back to.

 

[TitanTeaTime]

...Eh, sure, as a semi-regular-but-not-really-towards-the-end-of-it I suppose I can do something for this subforum. alsotomakeupforaparticularlyembarassingandstupiddaysorryaboutthat:|
Anyway, I can make the move gifs.

 

[GMSTerror]

Shulk Basic Combo

EDIT: I have seriously no idea how to make GIFs appear....
EDIT 2: I GOT IT WORKING

 

[TitanTeaTime]

Shulk Basic Combo

EDIT: I have seriously no idea how to make GIFs appear....

Ah, never mind then. I guess I can still try to make some of the gifs?

 

[Solfiner]

So, regarding Shulk's moveset:

Since he has amazing reach (Probably the best in the entire cast actually) I see him being a hit and run kinda character. He can poke, then run with monado speed, and as soon as the enemy catches up, switch to shield, buster etc. He will be very dangerous in the right hands, that much is certain.

 

[GMSTerror]

Ah, never mind then. I guess I can still try to make some of the gifs?

Yeah, I'll leave it up to you, I don't know what I'm doing

EDIT:
LOOKS LIKE I GOT IT! I assume this is his Forward Smash

 

[~ Gheb ~]

[List of Monado Arts]
翔 (Jump): higher jumps, lower defense.
疾 (Speed): faster movement, weaker attacks.
盾(Shield): higher defense, slower movement.
斬(Buster): stronger attacks, weaker launch ability.
撃(Smash): Stronger launch ability, weaker attacks, lower defense against launching.

Sakurai confirmed the stat changes for his Monado Art changes/stances/whatever. This is looking pretty technical as far as I know.

Jump - Lower defense looks like a double edged sword to me. Shulks utilt and usmash look like very powerful anti-aerial and juggle tools so the only situation where he'd really need to jump higher would be for recovery purposes. In that situation it'd be quite risky to lower your defenses.

Speed - I bet this one will be used quite a lot in various situations but it'll depend upon how much faster Shulk gets. Looking at the trailer though it seems pretty fast so I can see this being in all sorts of situation. Basically, unless you need to deal a lot of damage in little time or you're in for a KO higher movement speed seems to be a good thing to have.

Shield - Seems fairly useless at first sight tbh. Though it'll depend on the amount of defense gained and mobility lost I think this will be useful only in very specific matchups. The mechanics of smash generally seem to favor mobility over defenses, especially since mobility itself can be used as a defensive tool. Maybe it'll be useful to drive s few characters nuts that just lack KO options but that's all I can think of.

Buster - If I'm interpreting 'stronger attacks, weaker launch ability' right it essentially means more damage with reduced knockback. That could lead to ridiculous damage output at low percent. I'm a bit unsure about the official wording but this could be a bit of a game-breaker and lead to silly stuff. If this works the way I think it works it could be a mighty buff.

Smash - More knockback sounds very rewarding at first but I think the drawbacks are overall too numerous to make this a monado art you'd use a lot. It could open windows to finish people off when you're edgeguarding or juggling them. There's very little risk involved in such situations and increased knockback could give you some relatively early kills at times.

 

[Dunban]

Shulk's final smash is capable of hitting multiple characters. It looks as though it would be an animation lock, similar to Captain Falcon's final smash.

 

[GMSTerror]

Back Air (Assumption)


Up Smash
https://imgflip.com/gifgenerator

 

[Neo Zero]

Back Air (Assumption)


Up Smash

Both those moves look SO good.

 

[GMSTerror]

Down Smash


Up Tilt


Monado Jump


Monado Speed
https://imgflip.com/gifgenerator

 

[Hokori]

Down Smash


Up Tilt

The tech-chasing...the anti-air...Shulk has all of my YES.

 

[Neo Zero]

Good luck killing Shulk when he switches to Monado Jump. That recovery is going to be awesome.

 

[GMSTerror]

Monado Shield


Monado Buster + Down Tilt + Forward Air (Assumption)


Monado Smash + Empowered Side Smash?
https://imgflip.com/gifgenerator

 

[~ Gheb ~]

Monado Shield


Monado Buster + Down Tilt + Forward Air (Assumption)

Both look pretty OP tbh <_<

 

[GMSTerror]

Bonus: RIKIIIIIII <3


Air Slash (Up Special)


Back Slash (Looks like a Side Special) + Roll animation
https://imgflip.com/gifgenerator

 

[Tristan_win]

Does anyone else find it interesting how at 1:33-1:34 when facing Mario Shulk didn't say anything but when facing De3 back he say 'back slash'? Although we don't have percentages if you look closely at the video you will notice a different in how de3 was sent back from mario, he looked to be in pain after getting hit from a strong attack.

It would be a somewhat interesting mechanic if Shulk attacks received higher knockback if attacking a opponents back.

 

[Ganreizu]

So...how the hell is shulk's monado art switch going to work? There are 5 monado arts which means it can't be something like press neutral B -> use control stick to pick the art you want because there are only 4 directions. Do you have to cycle through them in a fixed order? That would make picking the art you need to have asap become significantly harder depending on if switching has any sort of lag/delay, potentially wasting whatever opportunity you wanted to capitalize on, or even worse, causing your death.

What do you all think?

 

[Dunban]

Does anyone else find it interesting how at 1:33-1:34 when facing Mario Shulk didn't say anything but when facing De3 back he say 'back slash'? Although we don't have percentages if you look closely at the video you will notice a different in how de3 was sent back from mario, he looked to be in pain after getting hit from a strong attack.

It would be a somewhat interesting mechanic if Shulk attacks received higher knockback if attack a opponents back.

Exactly right.

In Xenoblade Chronicles, Shulk has an "Art", or skill, called Back Slash. In the game, the attack does more damage if (surprise surprise) you attack the opponent from behind. Back Slash acts as Shulk's staple move and is one of his strongest attacks. Therefore, when Shulk uses Back Slash against King Dedede, the attack is likely stronger and has further knockback.

 

[GMSTerror]

Does anyone else find it interesting how at 1:33-1:34 when facing Mario Shulk didn't say anything but when facing De3 back he say 'back slash'? Although we don't have percentages if you look closely at the video you will notice a different in how de3 was sent back from mario, he looked to be in pain after getting hit from a strong attack.

It would be a somewhat interesting mechanic if Shulk attacks received higher knockback if attack a opponents back.

Sakurai did Shulk justice in terms of mechanics when it comes to linking back towards the Xenoblade game. Of course, as the name implies, Back Slash does more damage from behind, hence would make sense for enemies to fly farther if so.

'd

So...how the hell is shulk's monado art switch going to work? There are 5 monado arts which means it can't be something like press neutral B -> use control stick to pick the art you want because there are only 4 directions. Do you have to cycle through them in a fixed order? That would make picking the art you need to have asap become significantly harder depending on if switching has any sort of lag/delay, potentially wasting whatever opportunity you wanted to capitalize on, or even worse, causing your death.

What do you all think?

Assuming as such, it is definitely going to be cycling through the Neutral B, if one has fast fingers, they will be easily able to select an art that suits the condition. It's like League of Legends Twisted Fate's Pick-A-Card in a sense.

Also
Vision Counter



FINAL SMASH DUNDUN RIKI WOMBO COMBO OF HEROPON


EDIT for the last time: That is every GIF of Shulk's moveset that I can find. I suggest someone make a better GIF of the Final Smash, cause mine is extremely choppy. Have fun!

 

[Berserker.]

His forward smash (Slit edge) can be angled

 

[Hokori]

Yo, thanks a ton for getting these GIFs up @ GMSTerror . They'll be included within the first two posts soon enough.

 

[GMSTerror]

Yo, thanks a ton for getting these GIFs up @ GMSTerror . They'll be included within the first two posts soon enough.

Not a problem! I'm glad to help

 

[ミスティック Speed]

So I put this together for the Shulk users as a reference guide.
New [List of Monado Arts]
翔 (Jump): higher jumps, lower defense. Best used for juggling airborne characters, or getting a star KO at the top of the screen. Also useful for recovery.
疾 (Speed): faster movement, weaker attacks. Best used when you need to close the distance, especially on larger stages.
盾(Shield): higher defense, slower movement. Best used when you're at high percentage to keep yourself on the stage for an extended amount of time.
斬(Buster): stronger attacks, weaker launch ability. Best used at the start of a match so you can quickly rack up damage and keep the opponents close to you without the fear of knocking them out of your attack range. Probably good at combos.
撃(Smash): Stronger launch ability, weaker attacks, lower defense against launching. Best used when the opponent has high damage, thus making it easier to land a finisher.

 

[xLemmy_KoopaX]

翔 (Jump): higher jumps, lower defense.
疾 (Speed): faster movement, weaker attacks.
盾(Shield): higher defense, slower movement.
斬(Buster): stronger attacks, weaker launch ability.
撃(Smash): Stronger launch ability, weaker attacks, lower defense against launching.

Let's see how we can use them effectively.
Jump: Recovery purposes and air game.
Speed: Approaching. Also, hit-and-run stuff, like @ Solfiner explained.
Shield: Helps you not getting your ass kicked when you have high percents. Putting pressure on the enemy in tandem with...
Buster: Perfect for combos.
Smash: Kill stuff with it.
Use Buster first to weaken stuff with it, then SHULK SMASH them out.
Combined with the Monado's huge range, Shulk will have a lot of versatility. So excited to play him. Stance changes pretty much happen instantly, so we'll be able to do a lot more stuff with it, that's for sure.

EDIT: Speed basically 'd me

 

[ミスティック Speed]

翔 (Jump): higher jumps, lower defense.
疾 (Speed): faster movement, weaker attacks.
盾(Shield): higher defense, slower movement.
斬(Buster): stronger attacks, weaker launch ability.
撃(Smash): Stronger launch ability, weaker attacks, lower defense against launching.

Let's see how we can use them effectively.
Jump: Recovery purposes and air game.
Speed: Approaching. Also, hit-and-run stuff, like @ Solfiner explained.
Shield: Helps you not getting your *** kicked when you have high percents. Putting pressure on the enemy in tandem with...
Buster: Perfect for combos.
Smash: Kill stuff with it.
Use Buster first to weaken stuff with it, then SHULK SMASH them out.
Combined with the Monado's huge range, Shulk will have a lot of versatility. So excited to play him. Stance changes pretty much happen instantly, so we'll be able to do a lot more stuff with it, that's for sure.

EDIT: Speed basically 'd me

xD I was laughing while I read this because it sounded so similar to mine.
Regardless, good to see we're on the same page

 

[Neo Zero]

Updated 2nd post with the gifs

Stance dancing will be important as Shulk. For Ex.

Shulk gets knocked off stage but doesn't die. Switch to Jump, use your double jump to get into recovery range. While jumping, switch to Shield to prevent you from being sent far away without your jump. Switching stances on the fly will be critical as a Shulk main, you can't afford to neglect any of them.

 

[Hokori]

I see a lot of potential shenanigans with that Standard Combo as far as jab-canceling goes.

 

[Ganreizu]

Another aspect of the monado i hadn't thought about was the fact that using a specific art almost directly telegraphs your intent/game plan. It makes predicting the opponent shulk's actions a little easier because each mode is made to be good at only a few things. For example, if you're in smash mode, your opponent knows you might be getting desperate for a kill. Ironic considering shulk "sees the future" or whatever. It could also be used in reverse though, if you're shulk and you know they're going to react against what mode you're in, you could use the mode or modes directly before the one you actually want to use to mask your intentions.

I'm liking shulk more and more and more the more i think about him.

 

[Deleted member]

I feel like his cycle order is set up well. First you can juggle with jump, and then chase down with speed. Then you can use shield to stay right next to them if they try to knock you away, although it seems way better for a last stand. Also buster is right next to smash, so damage racker goes directly to kill moves. And if you die after the shield's last stand, your next art will allow you to get the enemies percent up. Seems like the cycle is a good order.

EDIT: His biggest weakness is the ending lag on most of his moves. If you miss backslash, air slash, vision, Fair, Bair, Fsmash, Usmash, Dsmash… His range seems to help him hit though.

 

[A Lucky Person]

Shulk is looking to be one, if not the, most dynamic character in the game!

Another great thing about Shulk is that he can fit into any team!
He can fulfill whatever role is needed on-the-fly. Team tactics with this joker are going to be insane.

He also seems to be one of those characters wherein multiple people play him differently, and that will be very interesting to learn about and see over the course of this game's meta.


I'll be honest, when he was first revealed I was glad but didn't care too much. Now he's lookin' to be one of my favorites.

 

[Ganreizu]

He also seems to be one of those characters wherein multiple people play him differently

I think that's true for pretty much every character to some extent. It does make it a LOT easier for multiple people to be radically different players vs barely different though.

 

[Zzuxon]

Dang, buster is going to make shulk a combo monster.

 

[Spazzy_D]

His Smash Attacks all look fantastic. Best part of his moveset IMO.