To anyone being a Grammar nazi..i'll fix things.
Note: this is a guide for Yoshi for Smash US version only, I personally know that there are differences in the Japanese version but I do not plan on going over through them here.
Second Note: The combo sections, move sections, and others can vary depending on:
A. Your Tech Skill (Jin and Sossi comes to mind in terms of DJC speed). For example, the Yoshi vs. Falcon up tilt combo takes medium tech skill. All DJC combos are also very relevant to tech skill. (For example I am personally barely able to shield break with DJC n-airs but it is very possible and I have done it before.)
B. Your ability to predict your opponent, as in if you are a spacing/punish Yoshi (see Sheer for a great example of a person who is really good at parrying/punishing)
C: If you camp or not: I won’t name a person
Third note: All damage calculations done in training mode vs. a DK (to make it easier to combo)
Air/aerial: A move done in the air, such as Yoshi’s flutter kick (down a in the air)
N: Neutral, no stick movement, as in N-air
F: Forward: as per the direction Yoshi is facing, as in F-air or F-smash
B: Backwards, as per the opposite of which Yoshi is facing, as in B-air
D: Downwards: As per below Yoshi, as in D-tilt or D-smash
U: Upwards, as in U-Tilt or U-smash
Lag: the amount of time it takes for a move to come out and then allow Yoshi to attack or move again
Smash: a hard press to one direction and the button A, usually a characters strongest killing move, Yoshi’s U-smash is an example.
SH: Short Hop, a low jump by barely taping the c buttons, highly useful
Full Hop: a full jump, the normal jump without using a c button
Z-cancel: Using the Z button to reduce all aerial ending lag
Fast Fall: the ability to fall quickly (as in with aerials) after jumping by hitting down, useful for full hop n-airs
Knockback: How much impact a move has, for example, a high knockback move is Yoshi’s up smash while a low knockback move is Yoshi’s jab
Set knockback: A move that will send a character a specific length every hit (see Up tilt or Down Tilt), the only way these moves vary are by what character the move is used vs. (as in for example with up tilt, a Donkey Kong is barely sent into the air while Jigglypuff is sent very high but this is set for all times this move is used)
Hitstun: how long it takes for a person who is hit by a move to be able to attack and/or move again (with the exception of SDI/DI), the higher the damage, the higher the hitstun
Shield Stun: how long it takes for a person to be able to drop a shield and/or attack after hitting a shield
Shield Break combo: a move (or a combination of move) that auto-break an opponent’s shield. Yoshi’s d-air notably automatically shield breaks if all hits hit a shield, is believed that shields can withstand around 55 damage before breaking
Frame: 1/60th of a second, used to calculate how quick/slow a move is and how fast the game runs
Drill: a (usually) aerial move that has multiple hits. Is the easiest type of move to DI properly, Yoshi’s prominent example is his d-air
Advanced Techniques: will be explained more at the bottom
My considered percents for combos, kills, etc, will be used for move listings below
High: Above 90 percent
Mid: 40-90
Low: below 40 percent
A very useful f-tilt for combos, edgeguards, and for attacking shields
Yoshi has the most damaging move in smash 64 (his down air) which is an instant shield break if all hits hit (I.E. on a platform)
Yoshi’s double jump has super armor in smash 64 making it one of the few somewhat good recoveries.
Yoshi has the ability to DJC to shield break and DJC to set up combos and 0 to death.
Yoshi has a unique shield that can be used as the only power shield in smash 64 (but the timing is very difficult)
Yoshi has a good matchup vs. basically everyone in low tiers.
High priority, high damage, projectile
Yoshi has arguably the worst grab in smash 64 with ok range set back by no real way to set it up (such as a jab grab for some, exception being a parry to a grab) and it having massive ending and starting lag if it misses compared to other grabs. This limits Yoshi’s grounded options.
If Yoshi is knocked out of his DJCC, Yoshi will be unable to recover if sent off stage. This makes the use of DJCC both a good but at the same time risky idea as if the opponent reads the DJCC, the player can just knock Yoshi off stage and Yoshi will be unable to recover
Yoshi has difficulty recovering vs. anyone with a strong spike, such as Kirby’s down air.
It is overall quite difficult to time Parry’s
A poor jab
Yoshi takes considerable tech skill to use properly
Description: what it looks like
Damage: amount of damage done followed by amount of damage after doing it once (being “stale”)
Knockback: how far it sends your opponent
Lag: how much ending/startup lag it has overall, as in how slow/quick it is
Range: how large a hitbox it has
Usefulness in combos: how useful it is well…in combos, depends on DI
Overall: My opinion + general consensus
Damage: 3
Knockback: Very low
Lag: Very low
Range: Low
Usefulness in combos: Auto-Combo
Overall: Yoshi’s first jab is more of a mixup type of move and it leads directly into yoshi’s 2nd jab. I do not find this jab to be as useful as at least some other characters as it cannot cancel into a jab. It is usually better to use 2 jabs instead of 1
Damage: 5, or 3+5 = 8 (for both kicks) 7 combined if used a 2nd time
Knockback: Very low
Range: Low
Lag: Low
Is this a killing move? Yes, at VERY high percents: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Ttl6bzNjk
Usefulness in combos: Auto combo/below average otherwise
Overall: Yoshi’s 2nd jab is a definite improvement over the single one. It is possible to jab twice against a wall into an up tilt and also jab twice against a wall into an up smash for a kill. It is slightly slower than most jabs but it is quite damaging for a jab. Another combo is Yoshi’s f-air to jab at 0, doing 26 damage.
Damage: 12, then 9
Knockback: Medium
Range: medium
Lag: very low at the start, medium at the end
Usefulness in combos: medium
Is this a killing move? Possibly
Overall: Yoshi has quite a powerful running a. The main issue with the move (similar to most other running a’s) is that it has some ending lag at the end. I find it to be a somewhat useful move however vs. certain recoveries. It works well vs. Jigglypuff near the edge and if timed right can hit Samus. I would not call it a great edgeguard but it is somewhat useful compared to most running a’s. It is just that most of them aren’t used at all. In terms of combos, it can be used off of hyrule’s wall for combos. I find I most use this move when I am approaching the edge near Hyrule’s right wall. It can also combo off of yoshi’s b-air and n-air. The other main use is near an edge where Yoshi can running a and then f-air off stage as a gimp.
Extra input: Ballin4Life:
Damage: 10-13, depending on what part of the leg, usually 13. Becomes 10-12 after first hit.
Knockback: Medium
Range: medium
Lag: medium, but enough to prevent some shield punish.
Usefulness in Combos: Definite
Is this a killing move? Possibly, more vs. Kirby or Jigglypuff however
Overall: This is probably yoshi’s 2nd best tilt and Yoshi’s best tilt vs. everyone who isn’t a fast faller or heavy. (See Ness, Mario, Luigi, Samus, Kirby for examples). At mid percents, Yoshi’s f-tilt can combo into itself and it has enough shield stun to mix up in combos. Yoshi’s f-tilt can also be used to combo into an f-air at mid percents (as for a kill if this is done near the edge). F tilt can also lead to a running a. If you f-tilt onto a platform, it is possible to follow up with a d-air or f-air as well. Very useful in general as an edgeguard setup
Damage: 12 (head), 9 (body, usually seen when Yoshi up tilts again after a first up tilt)
Knockback: Set, low, knockback
Range: medium
Lag: medium
Usefulness in combos: Auto-combos, If the opponent either mains: Fox, Falcon, DK, or Yoshi, this is easily Yoshi’s best set up move and overall one of the best setup move in smash 64. If your opponent does not know how to DI out of d-airs, this is by far Yoshi’s best move vs. basically everyone but Jigglypuff or Kirby as you can up tilt to d-air repeatedly to death.
Is this a killing move? No, it never kills (as it ALWAYS combos)
Overall:
I will personally say that if Yoshi did not have this move, Yoshi would be at the top of low tier at most. It is that good a move unless your opponent either shields it properly or if your opponent crouch cancels it.
If your opponent has terrible DI: Up tilt to DJC down air (if fast faller) and if your opponent is medium weight, up tilt to short hop down air can also work. Vs. a Luigi or Samus, you can do up tilt to full hop down air as well. If your opponent has really bad DI, this IS an infinite and it will lead to free easy kills. However, if your opponent can DI, this is not an infinite.
At low percents vs. people who can DI the d-air: Up tilt to DJC up air works vs heavies/mid’s/floaties. You can combo another up tilt afterwards. Up tilt to back air works as well vs. mid weights or mid floaties (Luigi/Mario/Samus). Up tilt to full hop up air only combos if the opponent is grounded as well (for Jigglypuff and Kirby only), this is a useful kill setup vs. a grounded Jigglypuff/Kirby at 80+ percent
Sample (albeit somewhat difficult) combo vs. Falcon/Fox: Up tilt, DJC up air, up tilt, DJC up air, DJC up air, DJC down air, up tilt, up smash.
For Kills: for any heavy, up tilt to up smash works, up tilt to f-smash can also work if timed right. Up tilt to b-air (or n-air if near the edge) works vs mid weights or up tilt to up air. Up tilt to down b can work but it is slightly more difficult to time. Against Jiggs/Kirby, up tilt to up air is the only kill option and only if Grounded. You can also up tilt to down b at certain percents.
Damage: 8/10, depending on what part of the tail, 10 if the beginning of the tail hits. Becomes 4 after first hit (Lolwut)
Knockback: Medium, set knockback, works well as a semi-spike
Range: high
Lag: medium
Usefulness in Combos: possible.
Is this a killing move? Correction, this is an edgeguarding move.
Overall: This move is rather interesting and probably overlooked due to Yoshi’s other really good tilts. If timed properly, it is a great edgeguard vs. Falcon, Jiggs (ESPECIALLY), DK, Fox, Kirby, Mario, Luigi, and Samus. This is since near the edge it is a slight semi-spike. In other words, if your opponent recovers low vs. Yoshi, down tilt will work well. If your opponent is high, force your opponent to recover low with eggs. Against a wall it can possibly combo into itself (for a possible infinite) or into an up smash/DJC). It is otherwise a moderately good spacing move vs. characters with low range, such as Jigglypuff, DK, and possibly Samus.
Damage: at the start 12 or 11, at the end 9. Goes down to 6.
Knockback: medium at start, low at the end.
Range: medium
Lag: medium high (unless Z-cancelled early or DJC’d).
Usefulness in Combos: Definite
Is this a killing move? Overall yes.
Overall:
Yoshi’s n-air is interesting if not DJC’d. It lasts a long time so it is somewhat good at shield poking. I find non DJC’d n-airs to be useful vs. floaties such as Luigi or Jiggs as the range is not bad at all. It combos at 0 into an..UP TILT. It can also combo into a DJC n-air as well as well and/or to start a shield break combo
Damage: at the start 12 or 11, at the end 9. Goes down to 6.
Knockback: medium at start, low at the end, you prefer the medium one usually.
Range: medium
Lag: Very, Very, Low.
Usefulness in Combos: Definite
Is this a killing move? Overall yes.
Overall:
Yoshi’s DJC n-air can lead to another DJC n-air. Simply put, if you know how to DJC very well, you can DJC n-air all the way across the stage into an f-air or something similar (very useful vs. characters which up tilt doesn’t work vs. Against a shield, DJC n-air can also be used to shield break, such as 5 DJC n-airs into an up smash or d-smash. DJC n-air combos into an up tilt and it overall can force an up tilt as your opponent should not have time to drop his shield. The usefulness of Yoshi’s n-air depends on your hand speed, this is Yoshi’s probable best move if you have the hands to DJC really well.
Damage: at the start 18 0r 14 depending on hitbox. Goes down to 7.
Knockback: heavy, especially compared to other aerials.
Range: medium-high
Lag: medium, more than Yoshi’s other aerials
Usefulness in Combos: somewhat
Is this a killing move? No, but it leads to kills
Overall: Yoshi’s f-air is good. It is quite a powerful spike and is probably Yoshi’s 3rd best aerial. This move combos into an up tilt at 0 (like any other DJC) and can lead to an up smash at mid percents. Finally at high percents, it can lead to an up air or possibly another f-air (to spike). It has high priority and is highly recommended for edgeguards and for vsing Jiggles, Falcon, and Fox’s. It is mostly seen as a finishing move or to combo into a finisher. You can also f-air to down b for a kill.
Damage: at the start 18 0r 14 depending on hitbox. Goes down to 7.
Knockback: heavy, especially compared to other aerials.
Range: medium-high
Lag: medium, more than Yoshi’s other aerials
Usefulness in Combos: somewhat
Is this a killing move? No, but it leads to kills
Overall: Yoshi’s DJC F-air can be used in similar to F-air. In other words, it leads to up tilts and other DJC’s for shield breaks. I find it to be my 2nd least used DJC to DJC D-air. It has very high priority/shield stun so it can be used though
Damage: 14 hits * 4 at the beginning = 56%. 14 *3 after the first time, or 42%.
Knockback: heavy, especially compared to Yoshi’s other aerials.
Range: medium-high
Lag: the move takes a long time to finish (as it has so many hits) but it has VERY low ending lag. The less hits Yoshi has to do, the less lag (which is why DJC d-air below is so quick)
Usefulness in Combos: Is either the best move in Yoshi’s arsenal or an ok move, depends on DI and if your opponent is using Jigglypuff or Kirby.
Is this a killing move? No, but it leads to kills
Overall: Down air deals the most damage if all hits hit of any move in the entire game. Yoshi’s D-air would be one of the best moves in the game…if DI didn’t exist. Too bad it’s a drill so DI is definitely possible.
Down air can also be used for edgeguarding, especially vs. low aerial priority characters. I find it very useful vs.: Falcon, Luigi, and Jigglypuff.
Damage: depends on how quick the DJC is, It is overall mostly going to be either 3 hits or 4 hits for a quick DJC (12/16 damage).
Knockback: heavy
Lag: almost none
Range: small
Usefulness in combos: somewhat
Overall: Yoshi’s DJC d-air is used for a few main purposes:
1. DJC d-air to up smash is a useful killing strategy vs. basically any character caught in it if you miss an earlier kill
2. At low percents it can hit a shield and since it is so quick it combos into an up tilt.
3. It is quite useful to end combos, especially vs. fast fallers
Damage: There are 3 hitboxes, By Yoshi’s middle, it does 16 then 12, by the end of the feet and by Yoshi’ hands it deals 10 and then 8. (It’s kinda difficult to describe the other hitbox. You will most likely hit with the middle hitbox as it is by far the largest.
Knockback: medium/heavy on the back of the feet, low by the feet.
Lag: less than f-air, more than Yoshi’s other aerials, in other words medium.
Range: small
Usefulness in combos: definitely
Overall: Yoshi’s b-air is great against characters who can’t be combed by up air. I find back air useful for:
Up tilt to b-air
B-air leads to up tilt at 0.
B-air can be used against a shield into another aerial to either shield break or hit into an up tilt.
Back air can also be used into a reverse f-air for a suicide kill/possible edgeguard if Yoshi is close enough to the ledge.
Knockback: medium/heavy on the back of the feet, low by the feet.
Lag: less than f-air, more than Yoshi’s other aerials, in other words medium.
Range: medium, more than other aerials
Usefulness in combos: definite
Overall: Yoshi’s DJC b-air is useful as a pressuring move. It works well vs. Jigglypuff’s, Falcon’s, other Yoshi’s, and Pikachu’s. It also as with Yoshi’s other aerials for setting up up-tilts. DJC b –air at 0 can also combo into a DJC n-air if done quick enough. It also is useful to combo off of walls. Finally, Yoshi can up tilt to DJC b-air as well for combos. The lighter hit of the b-air is much harder to combo with as it has a much smaller hitbox. You can also DJC a b-air after a DJC’d u-air. You can also
Damage: 18, goes down to 14. There is a secondary hitbox if it hits at the top of the head which does 7.
Knockback: Heavy, less than up smash.
Lag: Medium
Range: High, less than down smash
Usefulness in combos: very low
Overall: Yoshi’s f-smash is one of the less used up smashes as up smash is much easier to combo into. It is possible to pivot f-smash and I find my other use is vs. Falcon’s recovery and possibly a Mario’s recovery. It does not have enough of a disjointed hitbox. Up tilt to f-smash does work vs. fast fallers and it can be used for combos off of a wall.
Damage: 18, goes down to 14. Multiple hitboxes that send an opponent either to the side (either way) or straight up, if you hit with Yoshi’s head on the way down, it sends an opponent up, if you hit with an up smash in any other area, it sends an opponent the opposite way such as an up smash while Yoshi is facing right will make it so Yoshi faces left.
Knockback: Heavy
Lag: medium
Range: medium-high
Usefulness in combos: It ends combos; it only starts combos against walls.
Overall: Yoshi’s up smash has massive power for kills, it is known as Yoshi’s main killing combo vs. all heavies and fast fallers (being up tilt, up smash). It also can be a finisher after a DJC d-air at high percents.
Damage: 14 both sides, then 12 afterwards
Knockback: Medium-high
Lag: Medium-high
Range: High, both sides
Usefulness in combos: Low
Overall: Yoshi’s down smash is mostly used if you can predict someone who is rolling. It can also be useful vs. recoveries that down tilt are useful against. Yoshi’s down smash is “ok”
Damage: 5, 4
Knockback: Depends on opponent’s movement
Lag: very low
Range: low
Usefulness in combos: depends on the opponent’s ability to mash buttons
Overall: Yoshi’s B move is unique as it is a grab; it causes the opponent to turn into an egg (depending on the size of the person, the size of the egg changes). It can be used when recovering as a possible gimp if someone gets off stage. It is also possible to combo into it out of an f-tilt at mid percents or an f-air (or an up tilt vs. some characters). Both of the gimps depend on the opponent’s vertical recovery and how good they are at mashing out of an egg. Moves that hit an opponent while they are in Yoshi’s egg have:
1. 0 knockback, this also applies to hits that happen as the opponent gets out of a grab
They do NOT add combos to the combo meter
Do half damage, for example Yoshi’s d-air does 2 damage if the opponent is egg’d
I find this move most useful on Peach’s castle as there is usually less room for the opponent to punish this move and it is possible to wait for the opponent to break out and then attack (such as with a d-air)
Damage: Re-edit later
Knockback: High
Lag: Medium, can be reduced to none
Range: High
Usefulness in combos: Depends
Overall: Re-edit later
Damage: 18, 14 second hit, goes down to 7. 3 then 2 for the stars on the side
Knockback: medium high
Lag: High on the ground, medium-low in the air
Range: Medium
Usefulness in combos: it ends combos, overall it’s ok
Overall: Yoshi’s down b can be used out of djc up airs and up tilt vs. heavies and midweights. It is powerful but hard to time in general. Yoshi’s B down also moves Yoshi a little bit higher allowing Yoshi to grab a ledge just above him. Overall it is Yoshi’s best vertical killing move outside of (possibly) Yoshi’s up smash.
(The Terrible) Throws:
Knockback: Medium
Lag: High, in terms of throws, 2nd highest to Samus
Range: high
Usefulness in combos: Very low
Overall: Laggy on both start up and end, not powerful, sigh. Yoshi’s bad grab is one of the main reasons why Yoshi isn’t on a higher tier. None of Yoshi’s aerials leads to a grab and the main time Yoshi’s grab is useful is out of a parry. The damage isn’t nearly high enough for it to be used otherwise and the move does not combo into anything else. I personally believe that Yoshi has the worst grab in the game.
Knockback: Medium-High
Lag: High, in terms of throws, 2nd highest to Samus
Range: high
Usefulness in combos:
Overall: See forward grab. The main difference is that this move is much more powerful so it is used much more often.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTpZY7WN4Uo <<Guide to all shown below
Needs more explanations, I’m bad at this Lool
DJC: Double Jump Cancel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_LY9WrE1uk
DJCC: Double jump Cancel Counter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E506oMQXusY See the ending or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2KSxV78zcI&feature=related (for just that part)
DJL: Double jump Land: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ytPGXVBBdU&feature=related Example
DJEC: Double Jump Edge Cancel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91hVs34-LCc
JJC: Jump Jump Cancel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hTcRjHcq4M
Parry: someone else explain, please: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg4FHI3YJi4&feature=related
EGE: Edge Cancelled Eggs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOER1_Rl7Yk at :27
BC: Bomb Cancel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibQtgdrU2r8
Yoshi Guide
Note: this is a guide for Yoshi for Smash US version only, I personally know that there are differences in the Japanese version but I do not plan on going over through them here.
Second Note: The combo sections, move sections, and others can vary depending on:
A. Your Tech Skill (Jin and Sossi comes to mind in terms of DJC speed). For example, the Yoshi vs. Falcon up tilt combo takes medium tech skill. All DJC combos are also very relevant to tech skill. (For example I am personally barely able to shield break with DJC n-airs but it is very possible and I have done it before.)
B. Your ability to predict your opponent, as in if you are a spacing/punish Yoshi (see Sheer for a great example of a person who is really good at parrying/punishing)
C: If you camp or not: I won’t name a person
Third note: All damage calculations done in training mode vs. a DK (to make it easier to combo)
BEFORE YOU READ: ACRONYMS AND OTHER VARIOUS THINGS:
Tilt: a light press to one direction and the button AAir/aerial: A move done in the air, such as Yoshi’s flutter kick (down a in the air)
N: Neutral, no stick movement, as in N-air
F: Forward: as per the direction Yoshi is facing, as in F-air or F-smash
B: Backwards, as per the opposite of which Yoshi is facing, as in B-air
D: Downwards: As per below Yoshi, as in D-tilt or D-smash
U: Upwards, as in U-Tilt or U-smash
Lag: the amount of time it takes for a move to come out and then allow Yoshi to attack or move again
Smash: a hard press to one direction and the button A, usually a characters strongest killing move, Yoshi’s U-smash is an example.
SH: Short Hop, a low jump by barely taping the c buttons, highly useful
Full Hop: a full jump, the normal jump without using a c button
Z-cancel: Using the Z button to reduce all aerial ending lag
Fast Fall: the ability to fall quickly (as in with aerials) after jumping by hitting down, useful for full hop n-airs
Knockback: How much impact a move has, for example, a high knockback move is Yoshi’s up smash while a low knockback move is Yoshi’s jab
Set knockback: A move that will send a character a specific length every hit (see Up tilt or Down Tilt), the only way these moves vary are by what character the move is used vs. (as in for example with up tilt, a Donkey Kong is barely sent into the air while Jigglypuff is sent very high but this is set for all times this move is used)
Hitstun: how long it takes for a person who is hit by a move to be able to attack and/or move again (with the exception of SDI/DI), the higher the damage, the higher the hitstun
Shield Stun: how long it takes for a person to be able to drop a shield and/or attack after hitting a shield
Shield Break combo: a move (or a combination of move) that auto-break an opponent’s shield. Yoshi’s d-air notably automatically shield breaks if all hits hit a shield, is believed that shields can withstand around 55 damage before breaking
Frame: 1/60th of a second, used to calculate how quick/slow a move is and how fast the game runs
Drill: a (usually) aerial move that has multiple hits. Is the easiest type of move to DI properly, Yoshi’s prominent example is his d-air
Advanced Techniques: will be explained more at the bottom
My considered percents for combos, kills, etc, will be used for move listings below
High: Above 90 percent
Mid: 40-90
Low: below 40 percent
Introduction:
Who is Yoshi and why should you main Yoshi? Yoshi is a dinosaur and is part of the Mario series. Yoshi is a rather different character than most in smash 64, having the only “powershield” in smash 64, a very weird double jump, and the ability shared with ness to Double Jump Cancel. Yoshi is also the highest tiered low tier character making him an excellent choice for low tier tournaments. The main issue with learning to use Yoshi is his very big learning curve, his inability to use grabs properly in combos, and his bad matchups vs. the top tiers, (Matchups on the bottom).Pros:
Up tilt leads to massive combos vs fast fallers, mid weights, and heavies since it is a set knockback move. It also is easily combed into due to Yoshi’s quick aerialsA very useful f-tilt for combos, edgeguards, and for attacking shields
Yoshi has the most damaging move in smash 64 (his down air) which is an instant shield break if all hits hit (I.E. on a platform)
Yoshi’s double jump has super armor in smash 64 making it one of the few somewhat good recoveries.
Yoshi has the ability to DJC to shield break and DJC to set up combos and 0 to death.
Yoshi has a unique shield that can be used as the only power shield in smash 64 (but the timing is very difficult)
Yoshi has a good matchup vs. basically everyone in low tiers.
High priority, high damage, projectile
Cons:
Yoshi does poorly vs. characters that can prevent Yoshi from approaching: this refers to either very high priority moves (Pikachu/Kirby’s moveset in general) and/or high priority projectiles, such as Fox’s Lasers.Yoshi has arguably the worst grab in smash 64 with ok range set back by no real way to set it up (such as a jab grab for some, exception being a parry to a grab) and it having massive ending and starting lag if it misses compared to other grabs. This limits Yoshi’s grounded options.
If Yoshi is knocked out of his DJCC, Yoshi will be unable to recover if sent off stage. This makes the use of DJCC both a good but at the same time risky idea as if the opponent reads the DJCC, the player can just knock Yoshi off stage and Yoshi will be unable to recover
Yoshi has difficulty recovering vs. anyone with a strong spike, such as Kirby’s down air.
It is overall quite difficult to time Parry’s
A poor jab
Yoshi takes considerable tech skill to use properly
List of moves and uses:
How it will be listed
Name: the name, see terminology list above.How it will be listed
Description: what it looks like
Damage: amount of damage done followed by amount of damage after doing it once (being “stale”)
Knockback: how far it sends your opponent
Lag: how much ending/startup lag it has overall, as in how slow/quick it is
Range: how large a hitbox it has
Usefulness in combos: how useful it is well…in combos, depends on DI
Overall: My opinion + general consensus
“A” moves:
Jab (First):
Description: A Small KickJab (First):
Damage: 3
Knockback: Very low
Lag: Very low
Range: Low
Usefulness in combos: Auto-Combo
Overall: Yoshi’s first jab is more of a mixup type of move and it leads directly into yoshi’s 2nd jab. I do not find this jab to be as useful as at least some other characters as it cannot cancel into a jab. It is usually better to use 2 jabs instead of 1
Jab (Second):
Description: A Second KickDamage: 5, or 3+5 = 8 (for both kicks) 7 combined if used a 2nd time
Knockback: Very low
Range: Low
Lag: Low
Is this a killing move? Yes, at VERY high percents: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Ttl6bzNjk
Usefulness in combos: Auto combo/below average otherwise
Overall: Yoshi’s 2nd jab is a definite improvement over the single one. It is possible to jab twice against a wall into an up tilt and also jab twice against a wall into an up smash for a kill. It is slightly slower than most jabs but it is quite damaging for a jab. Another combo is Yoshi’s f-air to jab at 0, doing 26 damage.
Running A
Description: Yoshi struts his head forwards with light lag at the endDamage: 12, then 9
Knockback: Medium
Range: medium
Lag: very low at the start, medium at the end
Usefulness in combos: medium
Is this a killing move? Possibly
Overall: Yoshi has quite a powerful running a. The main issue with the move (similar to most other running a’s) is that it has some ending lag at the end. I find it to be a somewhat useful move however vs. certain recoveries. It works well vs. Jigglypuff near the edge and if timed right can hit Samus. I would not call it a great edgeguard but it is somewhat useful compared to most running a’s. It is just that most of them aren’t used at all. In terms of combos, it can be used off of hyrule’s wall for combos. I find I most use this move when I am approaching the edge near Hyrule’s right wall. It can also combo off of yoshi’s b-air and n-air. The other main use is near an edge where Yoshi can running a and then f-air off stage as a gimp.
Extra input: Ballin4Life:
(The Almighty) Tilts:
F-tilt
Description: Yoshi sends his foot slightly high with solid combo ability and knockbackF-tilt
Damage: 10-13, depending on what part of the leg, usually 13. Becomes 10-12 after first hit.
Knockback: Medium
Range: medium
Lag: medium, but enough to prevent some shield punish.
Usefulness in Combos: Definite
Is this a killing move? Possibly, more vs. Kirby or Jigglypuff however
Overall: This is probably yoshi’s 2nd best tilt and Yoshi’s best tilt vs. everyone who isn’t a fast faller or heavy. (See Ness, Mario, Luigi, Samus, Kirby for examples). At mid percents, Yoshi’s f-tilt can combo into itself and it has enough shield stun to mix up in combos. Yoshi’s f-tilt can also be used to combo into an f-air at mid percents (as for a kill if this is done near the edge). F tilt can also lead to a running a. If you f-tilt onto a platform, it is possible to follow up with a d-air or f-air as well. Very useful in general as an edgeguard setup
U-tilt
Description: Yoshi moves his upper body...upwards.Damage: 12 (head), 9 (body, usually seen when Yoshi up tilts again after a first up tilt)
Knockback: Set, low, knockback
Range: medium
Lag: medium
Usefulness in combos: Auto-combos, If the opponent either mains: Fox, Falcon, DK, or Yoshi, this is easily Yoshi’s best set up move and overall one of the best setup move in smash 64. If your opponent does not know how to DI out of d-airs, this is by far Yoshi’s best move vs. basically everyone but Jigglypuff or Kirby as you can up tilt to d-air repeatedly to death.
Is this a killing move? No, it never kills (as it ALWAYS combos)
Overall:
I will personally say that if Yoshi did not have this move, Yoshi would be at the top of low tier at most. It is that good a move unless your opponent either shields it properly or if your opponent crouch cancels it.
If your opponent has terrible DI: Up tilt to DJC down air (if fast faller) and if your opponent is medium weight, up tilt to short hop down air can also work. Vs. a Luigi or Samus, you can do up tilt to full hop down air as well. If your opponent has really bad DI, this IS an infinite and it will lead to free easy kills. However, if your opponent can DI, this is not an infinite.
At low percents vs. people who can DI the d-air: Up tilt to DJC up air works vs heavies/mid’s/floaties. You can combo another up tilt afterwards. Up tilt to back air works as well vs. mid weights or mid floaties (Luigi/Mario/Samus). Up tilt to full hop up air only combos if the opponent is grounded as well (for Jigglypuff and Kirby only), this is a useful kill setup vs. a grounded Jigglypuff/Kirby at 80+ percent
Sample (albeit somewhat difficult) combo vs. Falcon/Fox: Up tilt, DJC up air, up tilt, DJC up air, DJC up air, DJC down air, up tilt, up smash.
For Kills: for any heavy, up tilt to up smash works, up tilt to f-smash can also work if timed right. Up tilt to b-air (or n-air if near the edge) works vs mid weights or up tilt to up air. Up tilt to down b can work but it is slightly more difficult to time. Against Jiggs/Kirby, up tilt to up air is the only kill option and only if Grounded. You can also up tilt to down b at certain percents.
D-tilt
Description: Yoshi sends his tail forward with set knockbackDamage: 8/10, depending on what part of the tail, 10 if the beginning of the tail hits. Becomes 4 after first hit (Lolwut)
Knockback: Medium, set knockback, works well as a semi-spike
Range: high
Lag: medium
Usefulness in Combos: possible.
Is this a killing move? Correction, this is an edgeguarding move.
Overall: This move is rather interesting and probably overlooked due to Yoshi’s other really good tilts. If timed properly, it is a great edgeguard vs. Falcon, Jiggs (ESPECIALLY), DK, Fox, Kirby, Mario, Luigi, and Samus. This is since near the edge it is a slight semi-spike. In other words, if your opponent recovers low vs. Yoshi, down tilt will work well. If your opponent is high, force your opponent to recover low with eggs. Against a wall it can possibly combo into itself (for a possible infinite) or into an up smash/DJC). It is otherwise a moderately good spacing move vs. characters with low range, such as Jigglypuff, DK, and possibly Samus.
Aerials:
Note: For aerials I will be going over DJC aerials as separate as they have overall different properties.N-air
Description: Yoshi kicks. This is a sex kick, as in it does less damage the longer it is out.Damage: at the start 12 or 11, at the end 9. Goes down to 6.
Knockback: medium at start, low at the end.
Range: medium
Lag: medium high (unless Z-cancelled early or DJC’d).
Usefulness in Combos: Definite
Is this a killing move? Overall yes.
Overall:
Yoshi’s n-air is interesting if not DJC’d. It lasts a long time so it is somewhat good at shield poking. I find non DJC’d n-airs to be useful vs. floaties such as Luigi or Jiggs as the range is not bad at all. It combos at 0 into an..UP TILT. It can also combo into a DJC n-air as well as well and/or to start a shield break combo
DJC N-air
Description: Yoshi kicks. This is a sex kick, as in it does less damage the longer it is out.Damage: at the start 12 or 11, at the end 9. Goes down to 6.
Knockback: medium at start, low at the end, you prefer the medium one usually.
Range: medium
Lag: Very, Very, Low.
Usefulness in Combos: Definite
Is this a killing move? Overall yes.
Overall:
Yoshi’s DJC n-air can lead to another DJC n-air. Simply put, if you know how to DJC very well, you can DJC n-air all the way across the stage into an f-air or something similar (very useful vs. characters which up tilt doesn’t work vs. Against a shield, DJC n-air can also be used to shield break, such as 5 DJC n-airs into an up smash or d-smash. DJC n-air combos into an up tilt and it overall can force an up tilt as your opponent should not have time to drop his shield. The usefulness of Yoshi’s n-air depends on your hand speed, this is Yoshi’s probable best move if you have the hands to DJC really well.
F-air
Description: Yoshi sticks his head forward with good knockback.Damage: at the start 18 0r 14 depending on hitbox. Goes down to 7.
Knockback: heavy, especially compared to other aerials.
Range: medium-high
Lag: medium, more than Yoshi’s other aerials
Usefulness in Combos: somewhat
Is this a killing move? No, but it leads to kills
Overall: Yoshi’s f-air is good. It is quite a powerful spike and is probably Yoshi’s 3rd best aerial. This move combos into an up tilt at 0 (like any other DJC) and can lead to an up smash at mid percents. Finally at high percents, it can lead to an up air or possibly another f-air (to spike). It has high priority and is highly recommended for edgeguards and for vsing Jiggles, Falcon, and Fox’s. It is mostly seen as a finishing move or to combo into a finisher. You can also f-air to down b for a kill.
DJC F-air
Description: Yoshi sticks his head forward with good knockback.Damage: at the start 18 0r 14 depending on hitbox. Goes down to 7.
Knockback: heavy, especially compared to other aerials.
Range: medium-high
Lag: medium, more than Yoshi’s other aerials
Usefulness in Combos: somewhat
Is this a killing move? No, but it leads to kills
Overall: Yoshi’s DJC F-air can be used in similar to F-air. In other words, it leads to up tilts and other DJC’s for shield breaks. I find it to be my 2nd least used DJC to DJC D-air. It has very high priority/shield stun so it can be used though
D-air
Description: Yoshi moves his feet down with wtf damage/knockbackDamage: 14 hits * 4 at the beginning = 56%. 14 *3 after the first time, or 42%.
Knockback: heavy, especially compared to Yoshi’s other aerials.
Range: medium-high
Lag: the move takes a long time to finish (as it has so many hits) but it has VERY low ending lag. The less hits Yoshi has to do, the less lag (which is why DJC d-air below is so quick)
Usefulness in Combos: Is either the best move in Yoshi’s arsenal or an ok move, depends on DI and if your opponent is using Jigglypuff or Kirby.
Is this a killing move? No, but it leads to kills
Overall: Down air deals the most damage if all hits hit of any move in the entire game. Yoshi’s D-air would be one of the best moves in the game…if DI didn’t exist. Too bad it’s a drill so DI is definitely possible.
For people without good DI:
Yoshi’s d-air is an auto combo vs. everyone who isn’t Jigglypuff or Kirby. It is short hopped vs. Fast fallers and normal hopped vs. middle weights and floaties. It doesn’t combo out of up tilt vs. Jigglypuff or Kirby. If your opponent has bad DI, you can just up tilt to d-air, up tilt to d-air, up tilt and then do a killing move and it would work very easily…but…here’s the catchFor people who do DI:
As it is possible to DI out of drills rather easily, up tilt to down air usually won’t work that well. Up tilt to d-air can be used however if you predict where the opponent will DI to. In other words though, D-air is best when your opponent cannot get out of the hits. D-air in other words is really good on platforms. It is an instant shield break if all of the hits hit (only move in this game). It combos out of the last hits into an up smash for kills and also can be used into an up tilt. In other words, it is more useful on stages that have lots of platforms. This move is ok on Hyrule, great on Dreamland, and one of Yoshi’s best moves on Peach’s castle.Down air can also be used for edgeguarding, especially vs. low aerial priority characters. I find it very useful vs.: Falcon, Luigi, and Jigglypuff.
DJC D-air
Description: Yoshi moves his feet down with wtf damage/knockbackDamage: depends on how quick the DJC is, It is overall mostly going to be either 3 hits or 4 hits for a quick DJC (12/16 damage).
Knockback: heavy
Lag: almost none
Range: small
Usefulness in combos: somewhat
Overall: Yoshi’s DJC d-air is used for a few main purposes:
1. DJC d-air to up smash is a useful killing strategy vs. basically any character caught in it if you miss an earlier kill
2. At low percents it can hit a shield and since it is so quick it combos into an up tilt.
3. It is quite useful to end combos, especially vs. fast fallers
B-air
Description: Yoshi moves his feet backDamage: There are 3 hitboxes, By Yoshi’s middle, it does 16 then 12, by the end of the feet and by Yoshi’ hands it deals 10 and then 8. (It’s kinda difficult to describe the other hitbox. You will most likely hit with the middle hitbox as it is by far the largest.
Knockback: medium/heavy on the back of the feet, low by the feet.
Lag: less than f-air, more than Yoshi’s other aerials, in other words medium.
Range: small
Usefulness in combos: definitely
Overall: Yoshi’s b-air is great against characters who can’t be combed by up air. I find back air useful for:
Up tilt to b-air
B-air leads to up tilt at 0.
B-air can be used against a shield into another aerial to either shield break or hit into an up tilt.
Back air can also be used into a reverse f-air for a suicide kill/possible edgeguard if Yoshi is close enough to the ledge.
DJC B-air
Damage: There are 3 hitboxes, By Yoshi’s middle, it does 16 then 12, by the end of the feet and by Yoshi’ hands it deals 10, 8, and 6. (It’s kind of difficult to describe the other hitbox. You will most likely hit with the middle hitbox as it is the largest but the other hitbox is very useful for combos especially with characters that are too floaty for the normal b-air to hit)Knockback: medium/heavy on the back of the feet, low by the feet.
Lag: less than f-air, more than Yoshi’s other aerials, in other words medium.
Range: medium, more than other aerials
Usefulness in combos: definite
Overall: Yoshi’s DJC b-air is useful as a pressuring move. It works well vs. Jigglypuff’s, Falcon’s, other Yoshi’s, and Pikachu’s. It also as with Yoshi’s other aerials for setting up up-tilts. DJC b –air at 0 can also combo into a DJC n-air if done quick enough. It also is useful to combo off of walls. Finally, Yoshi can up tilt to DJC b-air as well for combos. The lighter hit of the b-air is much harder to combo with as it has a much smaller hitbox. You can also DJC a b-air after a DJC’d u-air. You can also
Smashes:
F-smash:
Description: Yoshi sticks his head forward with powerful knockbackF-smash:
Damage: 18, goes down to 14. There is a secondary hitbox if it hits at the top of the head which does 7.
Knockback: Heavy, less than up smash.
Lag: Medium
Range: High, less than down smash
Usefulness in combos: very low
Overall: Yoshi’s f-smash is one of the less used up smashes as up smash is much easier to combo into. It is possible to pivot f-smash and I find my other use is vs. Falcon’s recovery and possibly a Mario’s recovery. It does not have enough of a disjointed hitbox. Up tilt to f-smash does work vs. fast fallers and it can be used for combos off of a wall.
U-Smash:
Description: Yoshi jumps slightly and moves his head upDamage: 18, goes down to 14. Multiple hitboxes that send an opponent either to the side (either way) or straight up, if you hit with Yoshi’s head on the way down, it sends an opponent up, if you hit with an up smash in any other area, it sends an opponent the opposite way such as an up smash while Yoshi is facing right will make it so Yoshi faces left.
Knockback: Heavy
Lag: medium
Range: medium-high
Usefulness in combos: It ends combos; it only starts combos against walls.
Overall: Yoshi’s up smash has massive power for kills, it is known as Yoshi’s main killing combo vs. all heavies and fast fallers (being up tilt, up smash). It also can be a finisher after a DJC d-air at high percents.
D-smash:
Description: Yoshi slams his tail back and forth with medium knockbackDamage: 14 both sides, then 12 afterwards
Knockback: Medium-high
Lag: Medium-high
Range: High, both sides
Usefulness in combos: Low
Overall: Yoshi’s down smash is mostly used if you can predict someone who is rolling. It can also be useful vs. recoveries that down tilt are useful against. Yoshi’s down smash is “ok”
“B” moves:
B:
Description: Yoshi eats and lays an egg of the opponentB:
Damage: 5, 4
Knockback: Depends on opponent’s movement
Lag: very low
Range: low
Usefulness in combos: depends on the opponent’s ability to mash buttons
Overall: Yoshi’s B move is unique as it is a grab; it causes the opponent to turn into an egg (depending on the size of the person, the size of the egg changes). It can be used when recovering as a possible gimp if someone gets off stage. It is also possible to combo into it out of an f-tilt at mid percents or an f-air (or an up tilt vs. some characters). Both of the gimps depend on the opponent’s vertical recovery and how good they are at mashing out of an egg. Moves that hit an opponent while they are in Yoshi’s egg have:
1. 0 knockback, this also applies to hits that happen as the opponent gets out of a grab
They do NOT add combos to the combo meter
Do half damage, for example Yoshi’s d-air does 2 damage if the opponent is egg’d
I find this move most useful on Peach’s castle as there is usually less room for the opponent to punish this move and it is possible to wait for the opponent to break out and then attack (such as with a d-air)
B-up:
Description: Yoshi throws out an egg with large knockback.Damage: Re-edit later
Knockback: High
Lag: Medium, can be reduced to none
Range: High
Usefulness in combos: Depends
Overall: Re-edit later
B-Down:
Description: Grounded, this move causes Yoshi to jump and then slam his but down; in the air he waits a minute and then slams to the ground. Damage: 18, 14 second hit, goes down to 7. 3 then 2 for the stars on the side
Knockback: medium high
Lag: High on the ground, medium-low in the air
Range: Medium
Usefulness in combos: it ends combos, overall it’s ok
Overall: Yoshi’s down b can be used out of djc up airs and up tilt vs. heavies and midweights. It is powerful but hard to time in general. Yoshi’s B down also moves Yoshi a little bit higher allowing Yoshi to grab a ledge just above him. Overall it is Yoshi’s best vertical killing move outside of (possibly) Yoshi’s up smash.
(The Terrible) Throws:
Forward throw:
Damage: 12, 9Knockback: Medium
Lag: High, in terms of throws, 2nd highest to Samus
Range: high
Usefulness in combos: Very low
Overall: Laggy on both start up and end, not powerful, sigh. Yoshi’s bad grab is one of the main reasons why Yoshi isn’t on a higher tier. None of Yoshi’s aerials leads to a grab and the main time Yoshi’s grab is useful is out of a parry. The damage isn’t nearly high enough for it to be used otherwise and the move does not combo into anything else. I personally believe that Yoshi has the worst grab in the game.
Backward throw:
Damage: 16, 12Knockback: Medium-High
Lag: High, in terms of throws, 2nd highest to Samus
Range: high
Usefulness in combos:
Overall: See forward grab. The main difference is that this move is much more powerful so it is used much more often.
Other stuff:
Advanced Techniques
Advanced Techniques
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTpZY7WN4Uo <<Guide to all shown below
Needs more explanations, I’m bad at this Lool
DJC: Double Jump Cancel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_LY9WrE1uk
DJCC: Double jump Cancel Counter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E506oMQXusY See the ending or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2KSxV78zcI&feature=related (for just that part)
DJL: Double jump Land: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ytPGXVBBdU&feature=related Example
DJEC: Double Jump Edge Cancel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91hVs34-LCc
JJC: Jump Jump Cancel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hTcRjHcq4M
Parry: someone else explain, please: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg4FHI3YJi4&feature=related
EGE: Edge Cancelled Eggs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOER1_Rl7Yk at :27
BC: Bomb Cancel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibQtgdrU2r8
Matchups:
to be discussedQ@A
