Data "Smash Ain't no Joke" - Little Mac Matchup Discussion Thread

[Dunk Master]

Little Mac will wreck Meta Knight on the ground. Meta Knight will wreck Little Mac in the air. Too early to say anything else.

 

[FlynnCL]

I can't really imagine this being a good match-up for Little Mac. I'd love to play Little Mac quite a bit but he has me worried.

I think Little Mac is a character of pure extremes and will have the most inconsistent matchup spread throughout the entire roster. Having a terrible aerial game is a crazy blow to his consistency as a character, and the biggest issue you could argue is that his aerial defense just doesn't exist. His recovery is beyond awful, like... even Jolt Haymaker does nothing to help.

It's this issue that will make his matchup with Meta Knight difficult. Meta Knight as a character can actually just camp the air, camp platforms (Little Mac is terrible with platforms) and protect himself with a wall of aerials slightly above Little Mac's grounded range, and what answers does he have? All you need to do is put Little Mac in a situation where his options are very limited, and then it's just a matter of punishing the little amount of options he has left.

Little Mac does have a great ground game with amazing power and speed, but he's not safe on block because of the amount of cool-down he has, and his range isn't that great either. He's not a combo guy, and I can't even imagine what his edgeguard game is like against an opponent that can even slightly direct their recovery.

I'm just curious of how anyone could think this would be a good matchup for Little Mac. On paper, if Little Mac lands a hit on shield, Meta Knight could possibly set-up into a juggle with could easily lead into death. Air-dodges net landing lag so Meta Knight can follow-up (and if Mac air-dodges off-stage he will probably die because of his fall speed). Mac's aerials will do nothing against a sword with disjointed hitboxes; he has no defense.

Little Mac will probably have to play this in an extremely defensive way (he's going to be playing super defensive in a lot of match-ups), and possibly even focusing on trades. This match-up shouldn't be thought of Meta Knight being foolish and trying to use grounded approaches against Little Mac's super armour, it should be the best options of each character and how it works against each other. Meta Knight just has far, far more options that happen to work against Little Mac.

That said, it isn't free. This is all based on a playstyle that completely respects Little Mac's grounded options, and Meta Knight should never try to use his grounded moves against his, because then Meta Knight would get wrecked.

Those are my thoughts on the matchup, anyhow. I feel like the Little Mac metagame will evolve into a defensive, mind-game heavy style that's based on heavy punishment, reads and trades, vaguely similar to how Ike or Ganondorf work.

 

[Spinosaurus]

So the previos king of the air

Wario is still MIA tho

But yeah, don't expect any characters that can camp in the air to be a good match up for him. ESPECIALLY MK and Wario, provided they didn't get nerfed heavily.

 

[Nat Goméz]

We just know one of his nerfs, and that's the cut on gliding

But i think the aerials in this game will be less rewarding with that landing lag, so they'll be harder to use for approaches and comboing, as this guy said in an interview:

Armada : "One thing I did notice when
I was playing was that the landing
lag was a bit longer than in previous
Smash games, so after you land an
aerial you can’t move as fast
afterwards."

And this puts mac in a better position

 

[Spinosaurus]

That's not a universal thing, though. It's character specific.

Actually, not even that, it's move specific.

 

[Nat Goméz]

Well, we don't actually know until the final version of the game is realesed, though

But i thrust the balance team, and i think that mac will be as competitive material like any other character, that's how balance works

 

[Venks]

I can't really imagine this being a good match-up for Little Mac. I'd love to play Little Mac quite a bit but he has me worried.

I think Little Mac is a character of pure extremes and will have the most inconsistent matchup spread throughout the entire roster. Having a terrible aerial game is a crazy blow to his consistency as a character, and the biggest issue you could argue is that his aerial defense just doesn't exist. His recovery is beyond awful, like... even Jolt Haymaker does nothing to help.

It's this issue that will make his matchup with Meta Knight difficult. Meta Knight as a character can actually just camp the air, camp platforms (Little Mac is terrible with platforms) and protect himself with a wall of aerials slightly above Little Mac's grounded range, and what answers does he have? All you need to do is put Little Mac in a situation where his options are very limited, and then it's just a matter of punishing the little amount of options he has left.

Little Mac does have a great ground game with amazing power and speed, but he's not safe on block because of the amount of cool-down he has, and his range isn't that great either. He's not a combo guy, and I can't even imagine what his edgeguard game is like against an opponent that can even slightly direct their recovery.

I'm just curious of how anyone could think this would be a good matchup for Little Mac. On paper, if Little Mac lands a hit on shield, Meta Knight could possibly set-up into a juggle with could easily lead into death. Air-dodges net landing lag so Meta Knight can follow-up (and if Mac air-dodges off-stage he will probably die because of his fall speed). Mac's aerials will do nothing against a sword with disjointed hitboxes; he has no defense.

Little Mac will probably have to play this in an extremely defensive way (he's going to be playing super defensive in a lot of match-ups), and possibly even focusing on trades. This match-up shouldn't be thought of Meta Knight being foolish and trying to use grounded approaches against Little Mac's super armour, it should be the best options of each character and how it works against each other. Meta Knight just has far, far more options that happen to work against Little Mac.

That said, it isn't free. This is all based on a playstyle that completely respects Little Mac's grounded options, and Meta Knight should never try to use his grounded moves against his, because then Meta Knight would get wrecked.

Those are my thoughts on the matchup, anyhow. I feel like the Little Mac metagame will evolve into a defensive, mind-game heavy style that's based on heavy punishment, reads and trades, vaguely similar to how Ike or Ganondorf work.

Having played over 140 rounds with Little Mac I can agree that he has no good defense in the air. His aerials have too little range to protect himself so his only options are aerial dodge and counter. Both of which can be baited and punished so it'll take take careful use of those options to return to the ground without getting juggled.

Characters that stay in the air are incredibly difficult to deal with. I had this same problem against a Zero Suit Samus that just ran away the whole match. Little Mac has a lot of trouble hitting opponents above him if they are on platforms or just continually jumping. His best option is his up special which comes out rather fast and deals solid damage. But the move is rather predictable and leaves Little Mac in a helpless state until he returns to the ground. Again Little Mac really has to think about when to act.

His ground game is amazing. No one beats him on the ground. Sure his smashes can be punished, but his tilts and jabs are very fast and safe to use. His down-tilt has to be one of the fastest tilts in the game. His side tilt, although slower, is still perfectly safe when used at max range.

Little Mac's smashes should not be used as approaches. They are all punishes for your opponent's tilts and short hopped aerials. Little Mac opens up his opponents with his jabs, tilts, and throws. When your opponent gets tired of being grabbed and attempts to retaliate that's when you smash them in the face.

I think Little Mac will play rather defensively. But the thing is he doesn't need many hits to knock out most opponents. A sweet-spotted up smash deal 25% in one hit. Meta Knight is rather light weight and can be knocked out rather easily at low percents. Meta Knight can't just spam down aerials unless he wants to lose the game.

Really I think what will really impact the match up is the stage. Battlefield is pretty painful for Little Mac due to the platforms, but he can still reach characters on the lower platforms with his up smash if directly under them. Skyloft however is a severe counterpick that makes Little Mac struggle. Most of the platforms are too high for Little Mac to reach with his up smash and thus his options become very limited.

Stages like Town And City which are for the most part just a flat stage is where Little Mac will shine. Here it is a lot easier for Little Mac to abuse his Straight Lunge super armor for a super quick approach. Not many people realize his Straight Lunge is just like Ike's Eruption and is better if used just before it's fully charged. A perfectly timed Straight Lunge has no lag after Little Mac stops moving forward and carries him the full length of Battlefield.

I think this matchup is in Meta Knights favor due to most stages having platforms that Little Mac has trouble reaching and approaching. However, Little Mac has the tools to deal with attacks that don't exert much range from the user. Meta Knights sword is too close to his body and thus it is easy for Little Mac to take the hit and trade back with an even more powerful attack of his own thanks to super armor.

Personally I think Little Mac will have a much harder time against characters like Rosalina, Zero Suit Samus, and probably Robin. I've played the other two and have trouble getting around carefully placed Luma's an Zero Suit's side B. I think Robin's Arc Fire is at the perfect range to trouble Little Mac and it will continue to hit him once his super armor has ended due to the pillar.

You are the Little Mac guy who spent over 14 hours with the game..

But still, my common sense and reasoning are telling me Little Mac would get gimped so HARD that it wouldn't even be close.

What would he counter him with?

Tornado? Straight Lunge can literally go through that.

dAir? Up smash beats that out hard. Even if MK's spaces well when he tries to use it Little Mac's body goes down with the move. At maximum spacing both attacks just miss each other. But more likely they both connect. Little Mac takes 9% damage and Meta Knight takes 20%

Short hop aerials just lose against Little Mac. Unless the aerials are projectiles like Rosalina's dAir, then that's another case.

In order for Meta Knight to push his advantage over Little Mac he needs to push the boxer off the stage or into the air. But the question is how does he do so?

Forcing Little Mac to approach while being on a platform is the best answer. Little Mac has no strong options in that scenario. But honestly I don't see the hard counter. I think Meta Knight will be better off on more legal stages than Little Mac and will probably destroy him for free on Skyloft due to the stage's moving nature. But overall Little Mac does have the tools to handle anything thrown at him. If used properly.

Little Mac has the second fastest dash speed in the game, super armor on multiple moves, and some of the fastest attacks in the game. This is no Meta Knight vs Bowser match up. And even then Bowser has been buffed pretty heavily since Brawl.

Depends on how air-heavy Meta Knight will be. If his aerial game is weaker I could see Mac being a solid option since Mac will have the super-armor to counter Meta-knights high priority. Sadly, I still think anyone with any decent aerial game will wreck him.

I see the whole 'aerial game' beats Little Mac way too often. That's not how it works. Aerials don't just beat Little Mac. He can up smash super armor punish short hopped aerials.

What Little Mac has trouble dealing with is being juggled in the air. A lot of characters can do that, but in order for that to happen that character needs that first good hit or throw to set the juggle up. Not to mention Little Mac needs to be at a high enough percentage so that he actually goes into the air.

Even then Little Mac has his air dodge and counter as options to defend himself in the air. The opponent needs to use proper placement and careful timing like they would against ANY character to juggle them properly.

 

[Nat Goméz]

"Not many people realize his Straight Lunge is just like Ike's Eruption and is better if used just before it's fully charged. A perfectly timed Straight Lunge has no lag after Little Mac stops moving forward and carries him the full length of Battlefield."

You sir just made my day ^-^ that's so cool, all that range in one strong hit, whole battlefield with that speed, fast and lagless...the bettter way to ground-aproach in the game imo

I sure can't like your post more

Thanks for the information, I know Little mac has big weakness, but i'll do my best to maximise his strengths

 

[Ragna22]

Honestly I feel like Pit is gonna be the dominant air fighter this time around because unless we see if Meta Knight's air attacks are changed to have more range, Pit not only has the extra jumps but he also has better spacing tools in the air especially with his new forward air.

Either way Little Mac players just gotta be smart against both Pit and Meta Knight cause at that point it's just a matter of not letting them get you in the air, they can't juggle you or do various air combos if you're on the ground so take advantage of your armor and invincibility, counter when you feel like it's the right time, but don't use the counter too much otherwise the opponent will catch on and start faking you out so they can get in and grab.

Despite Mac's lack of good air attacks he does seem to have a decent damaging up special so if you're the risky type like myself then you can use that as an anti-air if your opponent decides to jump at you.

And since we know that Meta Knight is likely to get nerfed, this strategy may prove most effective against him because I'd imagine in a match between Little Mac and Pit, Pit will likely try to space out Mac with his arrows and unless they give Meta Knight his sword beam from various Kirby games he can't keep Mac at a distance, at that point it becomes a battle to see who can out pressure the other.

 

[STiCKYBULL3TZ]

I see the match up as a game of Punch-Out. You have to remain very defensive and strike when the time is right. Meta Knight air camps. Little Mac has no air game so he wouldn't dare chase Meta Knight vertically. Instead he'll have to wait and bait Meta Knight to close in on him. Then take advantage of usmashes like Venks said. He also has his upb that comes out quick and hits hard. An experienced opponent will know that these are probably your only options. From there you have to mix it up. Attack in consistently. Switch from usmashes to upb to utilts. No matchup is impossible.

 

[TheReflexWonder]

It's a bunch of guys talking in simple terms. Not much substance to go around.

Speed + super armor (running U-Smash, for instance) will likely be difficult for Meta Knight if he can't get big punishes when Mac whiffs. With the updated ledge and airdodge mechanics, Meta Knight will likely be hit harder than almost any other character in that; air camping doesn't sound like it will be very strong without extreme air physics, and Meta Knight will probably have a really hard time getting off the ledge safely. That said, if Mac's moves have poor priority, Meta Knight might be able to outrange him in neutral pretty reliably and edgeguarding will likely be very good for MK unless his aerials see a large revamp. Mac's ability to pick when he swings during the Forward-B animation may possibly do a lot of good for protection against a character with such bad horizontal aerial mobility/speed (whereas Mac's seems okay or better, even if his aerials blow). At least a missed edgeguard will mean that Meta Knight has to get back on the stage through Mac, and his options for that don't seem to be very good, especially when ledge invincibility is so limited in Smash 4.

If SDI is reduced (as some people are suggesting) and D-Air remains the same, one or two clean hits might be all it takes to gimp Mac, but while his aerials don't send people very far, some, like Mac's F-Air and D-Air, seem serviceable to swat people away from him, giving him decent range, at least. No real way to tell until it's put in front of us, though.

Pivot options being much easier probably benefits Mac more than Meta Knight, and Mac's Jab will be good for fighting MK's excellent rolls if they are the same as in Brawl.

I think Smash 4 will revolve heavily around the ground game, and Mac seems to have the edge in that, even if Meta Knight's ground game is likely to be among the best, too. If clank flags are set correctly this time (as in, you can reasonably hit MK out of aerial Tornado), it's looking like it could be pretty good for Mac.

 

[Venks]

It's a bunch of guys talking in simple terms. Not much substance to go around.

You must not of read any of my posts.

The thing is Mach Tornado doesn't have high priority. Meta Knight has many moves with transcendent priority, but his dash attack, Drill Rush, and Mach Tornado do not. Mach Tornado cancels out attacks that deal less than 10% and is made up of multiple hit boxes. So usually this move hits before another attack becomes active or it simply cancels out faster, weaker moves.

Captain Falcon's down special and neutral special both beat out Mach Tornado because they have higher priority. But the positioning and speed of the attacks makes it difficult for C. Falcon to use either to stop a Mach Tornado that was executed slightly above him.

Little Mac does not share these problems. Little Mac's up smash is one of the fastest attacks in the game and deals a whopping 20% when not sweet spotted. The range of the attack starts on the floor in front of Little Mac and reaches somewhat up and above him. Basically a 120 degree angle. If priority works the same as it does in Melee and Brawl then Little Mac can out prioritize Mach Tornado with up smash rather easily. Due to the super armor it is not so easily interrupted as a Falcon Punch.

Now as for recovering I am in no way delusional. Little Mac is similar to Ike, but travels even less both horizontally and vertically. If you get Little Mac off the stage and bop him just a bit horizontally then he's not coming back. This is a huge problem for Little Mac not only against Meta Knight, but against many aerial fighters and also contributes to why he himself is such a terrible edge guarder. Little Mac has to knock his opponents straight to the blast stone from the stage.

I think where we need to look to see how severe the match up is would have to be HOW Meta Knight gets Little Mac into the air. Meta Knight's go to get-in attacks are dash-grab, side tilt, down tilt, down air, and Mach Tornado. Meta Knight's down tilt and side tilt are amazing attacks, but naturally playing on the ground is to Little Mac's advantage who can punish the tilts with his armored side tilt or side smash. We pointed out Mach Tornado earlier. Meta Knight's down air as well loses out to Little Mac's up smash.

Personally I think Meta Knight's best options are dash grabs and guard grabs. Little Mac's side smash is punishable if it whiffs or connects with a shield so it's a good move to bait out. Once Meta Knight get's a down throw, if it's similar to brawl, he can use his tilts or dash attacks to combo Little Mac into the air. This will be big damage for Meta Knight and set up for tech chases or possibly a gimp depending on where the grab started at.

Also if Meta Knight has a lead in percent then he can really take advantage of his multiple jumps and platforms to put Little Mac in a disadvantageous position. So Meta Knight clearly has an advantage on most stages.

The thing is though Meta Knight will not be as strong as he was in Brawl. Meta Knights up special was his go-to KO move and now it is being changed in Smash 4. This could potentially limit Meta Knight to using his down smash, side smash, and nAir for KO attacks. If his up special keeps its KO potential it'll still lose its combo potential due to the lack of glide. He can no longer up special->glide attack->stuff. Meta Knight's Brawl up special was a very strong offensive and defensive tool that was a huge part of his neutral game and intimidation factor. If his up special puts him into a helpless animation then it is no longer a move that'll be used quite as much. This is all speculation though as I have no idea what the new up special will be like.

Another thing I'd like to point out is that Meta Knight has always been about aerial fighting. Constant fAirs and dAirs cover his jumps as he plays the neutral game. In Brawl when Meta Knight ran out of jumps he could just go into his up special or he could air dodge into the ground. In Brawl you could go straight into shield after the air dodge and be perfectly safe when you weren't too high above the ground. But now in Smash 4 dodging into the ground causes lag which can be punished. Meta Knight has to use his jumps more carefully this time around if he doesn't want to be punished when it's time to land.

I definitely think Meta Knight has an advantage over Little Mac, but due to the simple fact that Little Mac's speed and super armor force Meta Knight to adjust his playing style I don't think its quite that severe. If Meta Knight were to use his usual approaches he could easily be punished by Little Mac.

I personally think the match up will be 60:40 in Meta Knight's favor.

inb4 Meta Knight confirmed for nerfs

 

[TheReflexWonder]

Brawl Meta Knight had a property on his Mach Tornado if he starts it in the air where a clank would not stop Mach Tornado; it would only make the opponent's hitbox inactive against Meta Knight for the rest of the animation. If that's still the case in Brawl, that could be a lot of trouble.

I'm not going to bring up ratios until there's a chance to play it out. In every Smash sequel to date, the best character is toned down significantly.

 

[Addy Who Dat]

This is really tough MU to evaluate but ill give it a a shot. Edgegaurding on little Mac should not be a problem because of Meta's Ariel's and Mac recovery. Meta might be able to camp in the air and hit Mac with plenty of ariels. But comboing should be an absolute pain. Little Mac hits hard and does it with fast exucution so when meta decides to land , Mac should be able to wreck. Though tornado should be of some use. I'm going to say Meta wins this MU but not by much

 

[Sykkamorre]

From what I can tell, the matchup pretty much boils down to how much damage mac's super armour can withstand.

If it lasts through the aerials, he wins. If not, he loses.

I know it's a hyper-simplified way of thinking and that a hundred other factors will contribute to the matchup, but until we know more about Mk, the rest is just speculation.

 

[TheReflexWonder]

From what I can tell, the matchup pretty much boils down to how much damage mac's super armour can withstand.

If it lasts through the aerials, he wins. If not, he loses.

I know it's a hyper-simplified way of thinking and that a hundred other factors will contribute to the matchup, but until we know more about Mk, the rest is just speculation.

Super armor is unaffected by the amount of damage or knockback; in Brawl, if you throw three Bob-ombs at DK during the super armor frames of his fully-charged Neutral-B, he will keep going. Unless the mechanic has been given a major change since Brawl, it should work the same way for Mac in Smash 4.

EDIT: The "Don't flinch" part of the Mac reveal trailer has his F-Smash tank a Bowser F-Tilt, which did 11% in Brawl. That's a good sign.

 

[Sykkamorre]

Super armor is unaffected by the amount of damage or knockback; in Brawl, if you throw three Bob-ombs at DK during the super armor frames of his fully-charged Neutral-B, he will keep going. Unless the mechanic has been given a major change since Brawl, it should work the same way for Mac in Smash 4.

EDIT: The "Don't flinch" part of the Mac reveal trailer has his F-Smash tank a Bowser F-Tilt, which did 11% in Brawl. That's a good sign.

Ahhhh, I'm probably too used to street fighter and expected the armour to act similarly to focus attack armour xD

Then whoop!

 

[Venks]

Ahhhh, I'm probably too used to street fighter and expected the armour to act similarly to focus attack armour xD

Then whoop!

Super armor is unaffected by the amount of damage or knockback; in Brawl, if you throw three Bob-ombs at DK during the super armor frames of his fully-charged Neutral-B, he will keep going. Unless the mechanic has been given a major change since Brawl, it should work the same way for Mac in Smash 4.

EDIT: The "Don't flinch" part of the Mac reveal trailer has his F-Smash tank a Bowser F-Tilt, which did 11% in Brawl. That's a good sign.

I've taken a fully charged DK Punch to the face and punished with my own Straight Lunge. I absorbed the blow and hit after his super armor ran out thus landing the KO. Little Mac can take infinite damage as long as he is still within super armor frames.

 

[shinhed-echi]

Then it seems Little Mac is a very timing-based character, if you want to be a beast with him.

Not unlike Punch Out! :D

 

[Trigger123]

I think Charizard would be tougher than for little Mac than meta knight

 

[L9999]

Or the Marth was terrible or footstooling is Little Mac's best edegeguard move?

 

[PlasmWraith]

Little Mac definitely seems to be one of Marth's weaknesses, as Little Mac just seems to have a better ground game due to his ability to break out of combos well. Also, as a side note, I love the music on that stage.

 

[L9999]

Little Mac definitely seems to be one of Marth's weaknesses, as Little Mac just seems to have a better ground game due to his ability to break out of combos well. Also, as a side note, I love the music on that stage.

Smiles and Tears? Yeah, wait to until you hear the Magicant theme. On other note, Little Mac's slip counter is one of his best moves in the air, and that's saying a lot.

 

[nintyplayer]

It's great to see Mac, and it's also great to hear Smiles and Tears is in the game; it's my favorite song from a Nintendo game. I'll definitely be playing that stage a lot.

 

[mcnichoj]

Na, just a bad Marth.

 

[Yoichi Hiruma]

Dat Japanese Doc doe.

 

[Kos-MosPlushie]

Marth definitely got nerfed, and Mac isn't making it easy for him. I wonder if Lucina would be a better match-up since she's faster.

 

[L9999]

Marth definitely got nerfed, and Mac isn't making it easy for him. I wonder if Lucina would be a better match-up since she's faster.

Footstooling spiking is now a thing.

 

[X WaNtEd X]

Footstooling spiking is now a thing.

so you can't move for awhile after footstooling in smash 4? can't jiggle out of it, jump, aerial, etc.?

 

[AttackstorM]

That footstool looked like an accident hehe

 

[Bedoop]

THAT AIN'T FALCO

 

[Emblem Lord]

The Marth was charging f-smash from almost full screen and you think its relevant to your match-up discussion?

Hilarious.

BTW Mac seems like a monster on the ground. I don't think he will "lose" to any character in terms of pure options. He will probably lose due to positional disadvantage like platform camping or getting juggled. He will also lose to low percent edgeguards. But his actual neutral game..honestly no one looks stronger not even Marth or MK and thats saying alot.

Best advice I can give is don't get stupid and be smart. Know your options. That d-tilt my goodness, so fast and great range. Don't take crazy risks unless the reward is really there. I see alot of little Mac play people just going in. I wanna see what happens when a master utilizes his footsies/neutral game to the fullest. Shield cancelled d-tilts. Pivot f-tilts. Straight lunge to zip across the stage like Ikes quick draw. Also using smashes on reaction to slow moves to blow through and net KOs.

Cant wait to see all that.

 

[Venks]

The Marth was charging f-smash from almost full screen and you think its relevant to your match-up discussion?

Hilarious.

BTW Mac seems like a monster on the ground. I don't think he will "lose" to any character in terms of pure options. He will probably lose due to positional disadvantage like platform camping or getting juggled. He will also lose to low percent edgeguards. But his actual neutral game..honestly no one looks stronger not even Marth or MK and thats saying alot.

Best advice I can give is don't get stupid and be smart. Know your options. That d-tilt my goodness, so fast and great range. Don't take crazy risks unless the reward is really there. I see alot of little Mac play people just going in. I wanna see what happens when a master utilizes his footsies/neutral game to the fullest. Shield cancelled d-tilts. Pivot f-tilts. Straight lunge to zip across the stage like Ikes quick draw. Also using smashes on reaction to slow moves to blow through and net KOs.

Cant wait to see all that.

I do some of the stuff you mention. Down tilt is just god like, super armor timing makes him great against aerials. And yeah he can play smart/position well with forward tilts.

 

[shinhed-echi]

I do some of the stuff you mention. Down tilt is just god like, super armor timing makes him great against aerials. And yeah he can play smart/position well with forward tilts.

First off, excellent performance there! Yours is still my favorite Little Mac out there.
I could feel the pressure that Yoshi player was getting due to not being able to get you off the floor.


Maybe this was the case all along, but... You made it seem like stages with platforms are actually GOOD for Little Mac players, since we have the platforms to block aerial approaches for us, or at least give us more time to read them.

rock on!

 

[Emblem Lord]

I do some of the stuff you mention. Down tilt is just god like, super armor timing makes him great against aerials. And yeah he can play smart/position well with forward tilts.

The footsies are strong in this one...YHEEEEEEEEEEESH!!!

 

[Venks]

I've got a couple of videos showing off Little Mac's custom moves if you're interested. Unfortunately there are some lost frames, so watch at your own peril. I suicide in the first match by accident. Activated Guard Break too soon and lost my horizontal momentum. But man is that move awesome. It literally can't be blocked just like the KO Punch. Both moves just hit even if the opponent is in shield.

 

[Syne49]

The hardest match up I've been facing in online randoms has been D.H.D without a doubt. I dunno if it's due to my aggressive tendencies or what. I keep meeting D.H.D that just camp and fire off his myriad of projectiles to stunt my approach. Anybody have any advice for what I should do?

 

[Blade Knight]

I'd feel Mac's Neutral B and Side B would make good approach options vs projectiles, though Side B obviously isn't safe when the opponent is near the ledge. But the immense range, armor and knockback of Neutral B could make for a decent option. Maybe throw in a counter or two from the air as well so you'll slide much farther than the opponent expects and maybe get in some damage.

 

[meleebrawler]

How about Little Mac vs. Luigi?

Little Mac would probably have the advantage in neutral with his greater speed and reach,
not to mention an easy answer for fireballs with Haymaker. But...

If Little Mac makes a mistake and gets popped in the air, he's gonna have a bad time.
Luigi's Fair will probably beat many of Mac's attacks, and his Nair could keep him up
for a while.

 

[Venks]

The hardest match up I've been facing in online randoms has been D.H.D without a doubt. I dunno if it's due to my aggressive tendencies or what. I keep meeting D.H.D that just camp and fire off his myriad of projectiles to stunt my approach. Anybody have any advice for what I should do?

I'd feel Mac's Neutral B and Side B would make good approach options vs projectiles, though Side B obviously isn't safe when the opponent is near the ledge. But the immense range, armor and knockback of Neutral B could make for a decent option. Maybe throw in a counter or two from the air as well so you'll slide much farther than the opponent expects and maybe get in some damage.

Personally I find the best approach to just be a dash. With one of the fastest dashes in the game Duck Hunt doesn't have a lot of time to respond though more than likely he was already throwing out a projectile to take advantage of the distance.

If Duck Hunt uses Clay Pigeon/Discus attack then I'll go straight into shield. If I'm close enough to Duck Hunt then the projectile will bounce off my shield and I'll be safe to start attacking. If I'm not close enough then the Discus will explode after hitting the shield so I have to stay in shield or I'll get hit by the explosion. I don't like being stuck in shield so I'll usually try to dodge roll past the Discus if I'm at the wrong position to block. Though not if it puts me into Duck Hunt's down smash range. That attack is too good.

If Duck Hunt calls out Wild Gunman then I will continue to go into a dash attack. The Gunman does not shoot if it gets hit and with the right positioning you can hit Duck Hunt before he can enter shield. If I'm not close enough then then I'm most likely to jump. If I stay in shield then Duck Hunt can safely approach into a grab or throw out a Discuss for added pressure/damage.

If Duck Hunt uses his Trick Shot explosive can thing I will go into a dash attack if I'm close enough to hit Duck Hunt. If I'm not then I'll use my shield to stop my dash and then forward tilt to try and hit the Trick Shot away. If Duck Hunt isn't in shield then I'm highly likely to hit him as well and even if he isn't my attack is safe on block. I don't mind the Trick Shot exploding onto both Duck Hunt and I as I prefer that to allowing Duck Hunt to set up for a grab or some other attack.

How about Little Mac vs. Luigi?

Little Mac would probably have the advantage in neutral with his greater speed and reach,
not to mention an easy answer for fireballs with Haymaker. But...

If Little Mac makes a mistake and gets popped in the air, he's gonna have a bad time.
Luigi's Fair will probably beat many of Mac's attacks, and his Nair could keep him up
for a while.

I haven't played many Luigis, but I don't fear them anymore than most characters. Little Mac's best options in the air is counter and Luigi's need to get close to Little Mac makes the counters not too difficult to time. Personally I fear characters that have more range on their attacks because I have to act quicker, but doing so too fast can cause me to be punished if I counter too early.