Stage Selection

[Kantrip]

What does Bowser Jr look for when selecting a stage? Which tournament stages are best for us?

Do we like platforms or do we prefer FD? Is it matchup dependent? If so, which matchups call for which kinds of stages?

Also we can talk about any stage-specific information pertaining to Bowser Jr here.

 

[The_Altrox]

Now this might just be me, but I hate Battlefield for Junior. Landing with this character is hard enough to begin with, but doing so on platforms that can be sharked and preyed upon... yeesh. The only benefit for me is that you can edge cancel his kart-less landing sometimes, but that doesn't make the stage nicer for me. I also don't like FD. This is a personal preference though, because I never like FD (unless I'm playing Little Mac, but I don't use him, sooo...)

Smashville is my favorite. That platform can save lives/provide an extension to your forward assault, and it keeps the stage from being FD. The relatively flat stage also gives more opportunities for setting up kart combo kills than BF. Town and City is my second, though I distrust the stage shift. Finally, I like Duck Hunt. You can potentially live longer, but you can still kill early with that lucky hit and use the space to set yourself up. Does that make any sense?

 

[Duck SMASH!]

I made a thread on stage discussion earlier. It's currently on the second page. I will update that thread and focus subsequent discussion in that one once I make the thread more official looking after my exams this month...

In any case, the (Incomplete) consensus was....

FD: Good option overall. Mechakoopa can help zone but it's better to release it and then play normally hoping your opponent runs into it. Be ready to follow up from its explosion. Not having platforms to assist in our approach does hurt, especially considering the landing lag of relevant aerials.
Not recommended for characters that can rush down hard (like Sheik, Meta Knight, and ZSS) because there is nowhere for Jr. to go and he'll basically be forced to the ledges or offstage. Also sucks against campers and zoners like Samus and Megaman because we are forced to approach and have no safe aerials with little landing lag that won't be punished on shield.

Smashville: Best neutral to choose. That platform helps Jr with his strings of aerials and also some protection from characters that rush him down hard. Needs more analysis.

Town and City: Insufficient analysis. I think the lower ceiling is not very useful unless you master use of Usmash to get kills.
Platforms are too high to be sharked by Marth, Shulk, Ike, etc. But a good height for us to shark people with Uairs. Do not take characters like Diddy Kong and Fox that score kills off the top here, for the lower ceiling helps them more than us.

Battlefield: Don't choose this stage if the opponent benefits more than us (like Falcon, sheik, Shulk, etc.)
Platforms help his aerials, and also help him avoid campers that would force him to approach on FD. We can platform cancel our up B here so it's slightly less punishable if used on the ground.
Mechakoopas less effective because they don't control as much of the stage.

Lylat: Insufficient analysis
We didn't really talk much about counter pick stages yet either...

 

[krazyzyko]

FD- Remember how OP Marth and IC's are on melee's FD? Its because their insane grab game. Jr has no grab game.
Yes he can zone and wall ppl out pretty good, but they can do that too. So only go here with a character with less to no zoning game than you. And with not a good grab game. Hopefully somebody that doesn't have any projectiles (CF, dorf, Mac, etc). And IMO I rather go to omega BF. You can shark the edges and go under rather safe. But don't tell your opp that, just tell them that you prefer a less distracting BG.

BF- Go here vs characters that have better zoning game than you and go berserk.

SV- My fave stage <3 Cover the plat with MK and recover safely there. Its the best starter but u shouldn't cp here since it's so balanced.

T&C- is like SV with a bigger lay out. I like it. Don't do anything laggy on the platz because they might KO you.

Lylat- go here vs ppl with ****tty recoveries like DK, Ness, mac, ganon, etc. Try to stay on the main plat to get some nice juggles. His angled F tilt and smash comes handy here.

Halberd- Shark all day until the 2nd part. Don't recover too low there because u might get stuck under. The hazards on grant great stage control along with MK and the low ceiling works good for you if your opp is lighter.

Delfino- Shark all day lol. Abandon ship on them when they are swimming. I'd pick Delfino over halberd any day.

Duck hunt- Box opp out and try to time them out. Up B to the trees to escape pressure and try not to play on the edge too often. You're heavy, have projectiles and disjointed hitboxes so stretch your lead and be patient. This is his best cp IMO.

Castle Siege- Even though I like this stage, I don't think its very good for Jr.
The 1st part is too small so walling out your opp becomes harder.
2nd part you might want to spam projectiles behind the statue and circle camp with turbo dash and abandon ship. You could try to go for a walk off gimp but remember how bad ur grab is. It's still worth trying every now and then.
3rd part is a fusion of FD and Lylat. MK is a little glitched there.

So, starter SV.
Ban CS and FD
Cp to DH or Delfino.

This is generally speaking because there are lots of MU's that might influence different choices.

 

[Blanc]

Duck hunt- Box opp out and try to time them out. Up B to the trees to escape pressure and try not to play on the edge too often. You're heavy, have projectiles and disjointed hitboxes so stretch your lead and be patient. This is his best cp IMO.

are you kidding me? how is timing out an opponent a legit strategy? duck hunt benefits bjr in so many other ways (small blast zones and flat fighting area). timing out is a ridiculous option on any map, as bjr you want the W asap because they will play safer and safer as the time runs

 

[krazyzyko]

are you kidding me? how is timing out an opponent a legit strategy? duck hunt benefits bjr in so many other ways (small blast zones and flat fighting area). timing out is a ridiculous option on any map, as bjr you want the W asap because they will play safer and safer as the time runs

I've actually never been able to timeout my opp there. But it's because they become desperate as I keep stretching my lead. So the mind set is to get the lead, stay away, let them fall into your traps and punish them for it.

 

[Duck SMASH!]

I've actually never been able to timeout my opp there. But it's because they become desperate as I keep stretching my lead. So the mind set is to get the lead, stay away, let them fall into your traps and punish them for it.

But... that doesn't really speak to how the stage helps Jr... that's more your strategy while facing opponents.
Nevertheless, Duck Hunt helps Jr because there's plenty of room to kart dash around and few usable platforms to interfere, but just enough that you can protect yourself from zoners and rushdown characters.
I tend to stay on the right side of the map.... It's safer there than on the side with the large tree.

 

[krazyzyko]

So Miiverse is quite similar to BF, except for the **** doodles.
How do you guys feel about dreamland 64?
I'm not sure if I should buy it since I've remade most past stages and tbh do not miss wispy at all.

 

[eherogirl]

I love any stages that are flat but I do my best.

 

[pikazz]

my personal references:

Final Destination: (I prefer Omega Gaur Plain due better ledges and better music) is a pretty solid stage for Jr when it comes with his Cart Game, however it should be banned when the opponent have easier time to zone you like Villager and Mega Man

Battlefield: this is basically BnB for Jr when it comes to his juggling game! the platforms are in perfect high for all Jrs aerials so you can easy juggle and score some damage! together that you can stage controll one platform with a MK!
however, its little harder with the cart game do smaller base platform and the opponent has more options, but its still easy to do! ban this stage if the opponent loves having platforms! Like Shulk and Sheik

Dreamland 64: (basically Battlefield but a honorable mention because my personally favorite stage with any character).
+ bonus the wind, it can sometimes blow away our MK but it can be a good thing if the opponent gets the MK in the face of the wind! the second hit will not connect but it will by us time to either attack or retreat!
also, the blastzone are bigger in this one and with Jrs pretty good (but gimpable without UpB Dodge) recovery, you will survive longer and gimp the opponents easier!

Smashville: (Best stage for Jr my opinion) has the best of boths world from Final Destination and Battlefield! the small moving platform can easy be stage controlled by MK while you are controlling the base. pretty much my go-to stage (if its banned, D64/BF or FD are my next to go to)

Lylat Cruise: can be a good stage for Jr thanks to the base platform isnt flat and 3 smaller platforms (which benefits us), I know many have problem with the ledge, but I dont find it too hard with Jr thanks he has good recovery and he snaps the ledge pretty quickly and easy! its great starter counter pick against opponent that requires vertical zoning Like Ness and Samus, I believe ZSS is having hard time on this stage thanks to that we have a roof from her DownB, her Paralyzer hits the tilting ground and she has harder time to grab/set up

Town and City: it can be a good stage thanks to its layout, but my personal opinion is I dont like this stage (I do good on it, but I have a grudge on the stage) so I often not selecting this stage. but its a wierd mixture between BF and Smashville in its own layout!


will write more later on counterpicks!

 

[Bill cipher3]

Is there any stages in the 3ds that he's good on?

 

[Dayzin]

What is your guys opininon on dream land?

 

[Blanc]

What is your guys opininon on dream land?

i actually hate bf and dl for bjr, messes with early kart to dair combos but, if you're the type to wait for kart uair to kill, i'd say it isnt bad

 

[Dayzin]

i actually hate bf and dl for bjr, messes with early kart to dair combos but, if you're the type to wait for kart uair to kill, i'd say it isnt bad

True but with our recovery wouldn't this be a good stage for us? I normally take characters with good vertical kill options to this map. Last tournament I went to I was easily able to survive up to around 150%.

 

[Mahgnittoc]

Overall I don't think any stage is bad for Jr. I would opt for Smashville first since the smaller stage allows the mechakoopa to cover more effective range. Final Destination is a good choice as well since it eliminates platforms that could potentially get in your way. I would recommend getting used to these 2 stages but never really rely on them since your opponent might be comfortable on them more than you are.

Next I'd say go for Battlefield. Once again the base platform is smaller than others and that allows the toy to once again to cover more range. Smart people will assume that this stage will mess with your mech shananingans which is true but being good on this stage gives you other rewards such as platform canceling and adjusting kart combos that they might not be used too.

T&C is good to because the blast zones are closer and Jr. hits relatively hard. Plus since the ceiling is lower too you have the option kart -> uair for kills.

Now I don't really like the next 2 stages but for the sake of shananingans they are great for the kid. Lylat stage tilts and slanted platforms let you drop the mech and if you know what you're doing will allow you to force the loops into odd spots. If you drop the mech on a platform it can bounce off the platform and fall right over the ease in case people want to recover low. Putting it on the lower platform can cause the mech to get stuck on the ledge. Great once again if you know how to force it to happen. Dreamland has a bit of the same since it can blow the mech off the stage and can mess with people's timing when they try to pick up the mech.

Also take into account that on Memeville, Smashville, and Lylat you can go under the stage if you spin out the kart in air and have a 2nd jump. I've used it sometimes to fake people out cause I'd do it a couple of times then on the 3rd go they'd run to the other side of the stage to punish it but I'd turn around for a free recovery

 

[Dayzin]

Overall I don't think any stage is bad for Jr. I would opt for Smashville first since the smaller stage allows the mechakoopa to cover more effective range. Final Destination is a good choice as well since it eliminates platforms that could potentially get in your way. I would recommend getting used to these 2 stages but never really rely on them since your opponent might be comfortable on them more than you are.

Next I'd say go for Battlefield. Once again the base platform is smaller than others and that allows the toy to once again to cover more range. Smart people will assume that this stage will mess with your mech shananingans which is true but being good on this stage gives you other rewards such as platform canceling and adjusting kart combos that they might not be used too.

T&C is good to because the blast zones are closer and Jr. hits relatively hard. Plus since the ceiling is lower too you have the option kart -> uair for kills.

Now I don't really like the next 2 stages but for the sake of shananingans they are great for the kid. Lylat stage tilts and slanted platforms let you drop the mech and if you know what you're doing will allow you to force the loops into odd spots. If you drop the mech on a platform it can bounce off the platform and fall right over the ease in case people want to recover low. Putting it on the lower platform can cause the mech to get stuck on the ledge. Great once again if you know how to force it to happen. Dreamland has a bit of the same since it can blow the mech off the stage and can mess with people's timing when they try to pick up the mech.

Also take into account that on Memeville, Smashville, and Lylat you can go under the stage if you spin out the kart in air and have a 2nd jump. I've used it sometimes to fake people out cause I'd do it a couple of times then on the 3rd go they'd run to the other side of the stage to punish it but I'd turn around for a free recovery

Thanks for the info! This was the type of response i was looking for.
I agree with you on smash ville, smaller stages are great for mecha koopas. I normally try to go to stages with no platforms but lately I've realized platforms can help you with setting up mecha koopas.
I also feel like he doesn't really have any bad stages but that would depend on your playing style. Like if you like to go for up-b a lot a stage like FD would be bad for you since you can't safely land but i can also imagine a stage like battlefield being bad since it can mess up your kart combos and mech game.

 

[Mr Moosebones]

i actually hate bf and dl for bjr, messes with early kart to dair combos but, if you're the type to wait for kart uair to kill, i'd say it isnt bad

It's amazing that we have similar results but can't agree on anything.

To quickly add to this:

Platforms make up b a lot safer both offensively and in a recovery sense thanks to platform cancelling. Still can't spam the move but its not instantly punishable on bf and dl.

 

[platomaker]

I hate battlefield but that's just me in general, there are platforms to set up mechakoopa but I feel they cramp up my air game. If I had to choose I'd rather go with DL- it feels like there's more space.

lylat is a fun stage but works against this character more than it helps- even if you have the mechakoopa bouncing at all these angles to catch people off guard, its just not worth it and you'll find yourself landing more often than not. Using the kart to land isn't feasible since those three platforms interfere too.

smashville, T&C, final D

duck hunt is ok i guess.

pity there isn't more legal stages.