The Genetic Pokemon - Three Expert Opinions On Smash 4 Mewtwo

When it was announced that Mewtwo would 'strike back in Smash 4, it left many fans excited. Players hoped he would rise beyond his poor standing in Melee where he currently is 21st on the tier list. The dev team dreamed of creating the world's strongest Pokémon, but did they succeed? We brought in three Mewtwo experts to weigh in on the character.

• RayNoire - Power ranked #6 in Wisconsin using Mewtwo. Placed Top 8 and sometimes top 4 in Milwaukee's Construct tournaments (the biggest tourney series in WI). Placed 17th Kings of the North 4. Plays on the UW-Madison Collegiate Crew
• Speedshocker - Has had notable tournament performances in North Carolina.
• MewSquared - Several solid and high placings in Texas with notable wins over Denti, Aerolink, Gyo, and Karna.

So how do these three experts feel about Mewtwo in Smash 4? Let's find out!

Disadvantages​

Mewtwo is not a character without flaws as all three experts were able to point out issues. The biggest one each expert mentioned was simply his weight. "Although Mewtwo does weigh slightly more than Jigglypuff, his height and tail actually cause him to die earlier, thus making him even more easy to KO." Speedshocker explained. This weight combined with his floatiness can create other issues as well.

"His floatiness makes it very hard for him to land back on the ground, which is where you wanna be in the neutral." Mewsquared told us. "It can be very difficult to get back in the neutral when recovering from off stage as his big size and floatiness allows opponents to harass him during his recovery and landing options."

"People know about the weight, but Mewtwo's also got a lot of issues with his hitboxes on almost every move he has." RayNoire also mentioned. "His frame data is pretty bad (fastest move is frame 6, fastest aerial frame 7), he has a horrible time getting off the ledge, his OoS game is among the worst...There's more but you get the idea."

Advantages​

However even with these weaknesses Mewtwo has some great strengths to make up for them. "I'd say one of his biggest strengths are his powerful d-tilt/standing combo links." Speedshocker said and Mewsquared agreed. "Mewtwo has amazing combo potential with his jab and tilts, with both heavy damaging combos and kill confirm combos."

MySmashCorner Showing Off His Combo Potential​

His combo game is greatly aided by a strong ability to space and zone. "His attacks also have incredible range and relatively safe disjoints." Speedshocker told us. "He has an amazing projectile in Shadow Ball, which has quick startup and is quite safe due to Mewtwo's ability to reflect with Confusion." These qualities fit into his gameplan very well according to Mewsquared. "With Mewtwo, you want to space and zone the opponent with tilts and Shadow Ball pressure, then link into his many confirms for massive damaging combos. He is great at spacing with his tail moves and his floatiness can be used to effectively bait air dodges for punishes."

This isn't the end of his advantages either. While his weight and floaty nature at times can be a disadvantage it can also be quite a boon for Mewtwo. "His weight and floatiness can actually help him escape many of the other cast's combos." Mewsquared said.

Relevant Matchups​

Each player found certain matchups among the top tier to be in Mewtwo's advantage and disadvantage. Speedshocker gave a general rundown on what kinds of characters Mewtwo has issues against. "His worst MU's are often dependent on one key factor; can they keep the pressure on him? Mewtwo can't stand characters that are fast and always on top of him. He can't charge Shadow Ball, and literally if they're "above" him, he can't hit them with his pokes. (Jab and Dtilt) which can cause some real problems."

RayNoire mentioned Fox, Mario, Captain Falcon, Yoshi, and Meta Knight, and Speedshocker mentioned Sheik and Little Mac as some of those fast characters that gave Mewtwo issues. MewSquared mentioned Pikachu and Zero Suit Samus but also said "Both the matchups are doable, however it forces Mewtwo to play outside of his comfort zone, as you'll have to be in the air a bit more often then normal."

However he is not without some positive top tier matchups either. RayNoire gave his thoughts on Mewtwo doing well against Rosalina. "Mewtwo's best top tier matchup is probably Rosalina. Mewtwo finds it very easy to get rid of Luma and it's tough for Rosa to land." Mewsquared looked at Luigi as "by far Mewtwo's best matchup. Mewtwo dominates Luigi, it is one of Mewtwo's best matchups in general."

Is Mewtwo Viable?​

All three experts had varying levels of optimism and skepticism on her viability on the national level with RayNoire being on the lower end. "I'll just say that I think Mewtwo is among the least viable characters in the game. Where most people put him on tier lists right now (bottom 3/5) is about where he's at."

Speedshocker felt more in the middle on his viability. "Depends on the dedication honestly. I've seen characters being used on a national level that many once thought to be flat out bad.Mewtwo is not an exceedingly exceptional character in general. He has flaws that are obvious, and his attacks aren't always that safe. If you want to use Mewtwo on a national level, you're going to have to put in the effort to focus on his strengths and have the knowledge to make up for his weaknesses."

Mewsquared remained confident that Mewtwo was viable on a national level. "He has plenty of options and tools to handle the top tiers and although he may lose some match ups every matchup of his is doable. I do not believe he loses any matchup incredibly badly. However some are much easier with the help of certain stages."

Advice For Mewtwo Mains?​

RayNoire had this to say. "Base your neutral around Dtilt. Know what options counter it and your options against those options, and mix up from there. Learn ALL your landing options; you will need them. RAR your Nairs. More generally, know what you're getting into. It's going to be difficult and bad things will happen. Embrace the challenge and don't get flustered."

For those wanting to play as Mewtwo Speedshocker stressed that patience while staying in proper position was key. "Mewtwo isn't easy to use, and isn't for everyone. If you want a character that has powerful mobility, insane grabs, and some unique perks, then Mewtwo might be the one for you. The best advice I can give specifically is work on keeping the opponent where you want them to be. If something isn't working right, position yourself in a spot where it is. Stay on your toes, and keep your calm. Like a Psychic Pokemon should be, Mewtwo is all about the mind."

Mewsquared had his own advice to share. "My advice to anyone looking to play Mewtwo is completely 100% forget about his weight. I believe his light weight is the biggest thing that distracts people from Mewtwo's many strengths, and creates the illusion that he is a bad low tier character. I have always said this to those people since the very beginning, his light weight only matters if you get hit. Why are you always getting hit? Focus on his strengths, develop your spacing and combo game, and you will begin to understand how good Mewtwo really is."

---​

A special thanks to RayNoire, Speedshocker, and Mewsquared for their help with this article. With so much valuable Mewtwo information not everything was able to fit within a single article. To learn more about Mewto and see the full interviews with these three players be sure to check out the Mewtwo forums here on Smashboards by following this link.

Agree or disagree with these Mewtwo experts? Sound off in the comments below and stay tuned to Smashboards for future expert analysis on characters from all Smash titles!

 

Obviously in your case, but compare to the likes of Shiek and ZZS, he has it a little more easier with her than most of the high tier aside from Luigi.

I don't see why since Rosalina actually does well against those two anyway but OK.

The difference is that Mewtwo doesn't have to do anything different from his bread-and-butter gameplan to get rid of Luma. Dtilt, Fair, Dash Attack, and Dsmash all tumble Luma and those moves make up a large portion of Mewtwo's neutral to begin with. You don't have to throw out an unsafe option and eat the punish like a lot of characters do.

I think it's pretty easily Mewtwo's best MU in the top-tier, but that's not to say he actually wins. It's more like evenish. We take what we can get.

...Other characters don't have to do anything different from their bread and butter game plan to get rid of Luma either, by principle. Like I said, one or two hits swats him far with every character. Even Zelda doesn't have trouble with this.

Like I said, Luma's survival is entirely dependent on how one plays Rosalina, especially on whether or not they specifically take measures to protect him or make him mobile. A Rosalina who does this will give Mewtwo as much hell as Sheik or ZSS, if not more, combined with all of the other advantages she has against him. It's not even close to even in Rosalina is being played properly..

 

hey sonicbrawler
let's see you list all matchups that rosalina doesn't win in your opinion

 

MewSquared is a hero.

 

Would love to see Ganon as no one really talks about him sadly. LiteralGrill

 

I don't see why since Rosalina actually does well against those two anyway but OK.

That's just it for Rosalina, but if Mewtwo had a chance against anyone upstairs, she's definitely the lesser evil. She not going to lose to him easily if she capitalize on his lightweight nature and obvious ledge options, but she's not a huge rush down character that can stay on him like honey and always disrupts him during neutral game.

She can win against him, but not easily like Shiek and probably not stock-free either.

 

That's just it for Rosalina, but if Mewtwo had a chance against anyone upstairs, she's definitely the lesser evil. She not going to lose to him easily if she capitalize on his lightweight nature and obvious ledge options, but she's not a huge rush down character that can stay on him like honey and always disrupts him during neutral game.

She can win against him, but not easily like Shiek and probably not stock-free either.

But she is a huge rush down character. You CAN play her like that.

Just watch any match from Falln. He's probably the most notable aggressive Rosalina.

Not to mention that really, Rosalina shouldn't even be played just one way for a whole match. That's just missing the point of the character. But that's a whole other can of worms.

 

But she is a huge rush down character. You CAN play her like that.

Just watch any match from Falln. He's probably the most notable aggressive Rosalina.

Not to mention that really, Rosalina shouldn't even be played just one way for a whole match. That's just missing the point of the character. But that's a whole other can of worms.

But compare to others, she not an extreme rush down character. It's an option, but not her forte which is zoning and harassing.

Aside from that, it's something than "no chance, don't bother" for Mewtwo. Besides, he can adjust too or secondary, just not on the fly like your space princess.

 

But compare to others, she not an extreme rush down character. It's an option, but not her forte which is zoning and harassing.

Aside from that, it's something than "no chance, don't bother" for Mewtwo. Besides, he can adjust too or secondary, just not on the fly like your space princess.

Yes, she can be played as extreme rushdown. She wouldn't stand up to Sheik on just her zoning game, especially since there are characters that are better at pure zoning than she is (i.e Mega Man).

I don't think any MU is "no chance" status but she has just as much of an advantage against Mewtwo as Sheik and ZSS, if not more.

I was more talking about Paradigm Shifting when I was talking about she shouldn't be played one way, Rosalina is the only character in the game capable of this.

Also I see no space princesses here in this game.

 

This is probably my favorite kind of thing to do with Mewtwo though.

Gotta got them style points.

That was...
BEAUTIFUL.

 

That was...
BEAUTIFUL.

I'm surprised people like it so much. I was just playing For Glory casually when I did it.

I'm not even sure if it's the most practical thing ever, I just thought it looked cool. :V

 

I hope you realize Jigglypuff has better results than Mewtwo. And that's not just because Mewtwo was released later. Hell, look at the rankings.

Really? I have never heard of any Higgs players besides Hbox and Serynder. While Mewtwo has Multiple High PR players. These are only three, there are others...

 

Really? I have never heard of any Higgs players besides Hbox and Serynder. While Mewtwo has Multiple High PR players. These are only three, there are others...

And because you haven't heard of them, they don't exist?

 

mewsqaured is meh heroer

 

And because you haven't heard of them, they don't exist?

Could you name some for me? I genuinely can't think of any besides Serynder.

I really don't remember the names of competitive players. I just watch matches occasionally.

Could somebody list off some competitive Mewtwo players as well (besides these three)?

 

Yes, she can be played as extreme rushdown. She wouldn't stand up to Sheik on just her zoning game, especially since there are characters that are better at pure zoning than she is (i.e Mega Man).

I don't think any MU is "no chance" status but she has just as much of an advantage against Mewtwo as Sheik and ZSS, if not more.

I was more talking about Paradigm Shifting when I was talking about she shouldn't be played one way, Rosalina is the only character in the game capable of this.

Also I see no space princesses here in this game.

Actually a space mom, but definitely nothing higher than princess that's for sure (or proclaimed at least).

I still see the other blondes to be better in that field. She cannot rush down as hard as those two. If she did, she's top tier no question and I wouldn't even be arguing about this.

Paradigm Shifting help being either or, but definitely doesn't make her a "pure" rush down either. The idea is that she's the least limiting (even if its not that much) of the higher ups. I really don't see how hard to see that. She can still do well against him. That's a given. But it's either that or someone that sweeps him without a stock loss or dipping in higher percentage. Take your pick (aside from picking a different character than Mewtwo).

 

Actually a space mom, but definitely nothing higher than princess that's for sure (or proclaimed at least).

I still see the other blondes to be better in that field. She cannot rush down as hard as those two. If she did, she's top tier no question and I wouldn't even be arguing about this.

Paradigm Shifting help being either or, but definitely doesn't make her a "pure" rush down either. The idea is that she's the least limiting (even if its not that much) of the higher ups. I really don't see how hard to see that. She can still do well against him. That's a given. But it's either that or someone that sweeps him without a stock loss or dipping in higher percentage. Take your pick (aside from picking a different character than Mewtwo).

Implied god/fourth dimensional being of the universe but whatever helps you sleep at night I guess. Not royalty but I don't think that would do anything for he if she was, considering the track record with Nintendo princesses.

She can rush down on par to those two if you play her right. Again, there is a reason she can stand up to them in the first place.

Rosalina definitely can sweep him without a stock loss or dipping into higher percents. I don't see how that's hard to see.

Paradigm Shifting isn't simply a help, it's how she's supposed to be played altogether.

 

Could you name some for me? I genuinely can't think of any besides Serynder.

I really don't remember the names of competitive players. I just watch matches occasionally.

Could somebody list off some competitive Mewtwo players as well (besides these three)?

Honestly, I'm not very good with names.
For Jigglypuff, they're's Serynder, HungryBox, BrianYDG, Reflex (but he might be retired), CrazyCuban, Dapuffster, and a few more that I can't remember. Probably more that I don't know.

Trela plays a good Mewtwo and there was somebody named Thulius at S@X, but I don't know how popular he is. There was a Mewtwo-only tournament on CLASH Tournaments, so some of those people might still be around.

 

Implied god/fourth dimensional being of the universe but whatever helps you sleep at night I guess. Not royalty but I don't think that would do anything for he if she was, considering the track record with Nintendo princesses.

She can rush down on par to those two if you play her right. Again, there is a reason she can stand up to them in the first place.

Rosalina definitely can sweep him without a stock loss or dipping into higher percents. I don't see how that's hard to see.

Paradigm Shifting isn't simply a help, it's how she's supposed to be played altogether.

Black Friday says otherwise, but yeah, I guess I have to be factist to make a sarcastic joke around you.

But it's not about them. It's about Mewtwo. And compared to them, it's not that extreme no matter how you enforce it. If the Mewtwo is derp and not knowing the matchup, then yes. Otherwise, I doubt it as efficient as previous mentioned. Which once again, not pure either way. PS makes her versatile but not perfect for both sides of the coin. It seems that way, but it really isn't.

 

Black Friday says otherwise, but yeah, I guess I have to be factist to make a sarcastic joke around you.

But it's not about them. It's about Mewtwo. And compared to them, it's not that extreme no matter how you enforce it. If the Mewtwo is derp and not knowing the matchup, then yes. Otherwise, I doubt it as efficient as previous mentioned. Which once again, not pure either way. PS makes her versatile but not perfect for both sides of the coin. It seems that way, but it really isn't.

It seems like you're just resorting to purple prose at this point so I'm not even going to bother discussing further with you.

 

It seems like you're just resorting to purple prose at this point so I'm not even going to bother discussing further with you.

Says the guy who makes sweeping judgement on anything Rosalina-related, but I digress.

 

I'm considering Lucina so people can really know if she's worth using over the Marth

I really can't wait, yet I'm a bit scared about what you're gonna say about her... x') She's really the character I like the most to play as (well, tied with Robin, who I hope you'll talk about someday as well), as she's got Marth's mobility with more close-combat options. Never really been fond of the tipper techs. Please tell people that "easier to pick" really isn't equal to "worse"...

 

Honestly, I'm not very good with names.
For Jigglypuff, they're's Serynder, HungryBox, BrianYDG, Reflex (but he might be retired), CrazyCuban, Dapuffster, and a few more that I can't remember. Probably more that I don't know.

Trela plays a good Mewtwo and there was somebody named Thulius at S@X, but I don't know how popular he is. There was a Mewtwo-only tournament on CLASH Tournaments, so some of those people might still be around.

Nice to know some Jigglypuff players still exist (I thought Hungrybox had dropped her in favor of Mario, but I guess I just heard something wrong). Shame there are so few though.

 

Honestly, I'm not very good with names.
For Jigglypuff, they're's Serynder, HungryBox, BrianYDG, Reflex (but he might be retired), CrazyCuban, Dapuffster, and a few more that I can't remember. Probably more that I don't know.

Trela plays a good Mewtwo and there was somebody named Thulius at S@X, but I don't know how popular he is. There was a Mewtwo-only tournament on CLASH Tournaments, so some of those people might still be around.

I heard dapuffster stopped playing jiggs, and Hbox is really just a joke as he got out in the first round last tournament he attended.

 

I heard dapuffster stopped playing jiggs, and Hbox is really just a joke as he got out in the first round last tournament he attended.

Nobody said they had to be good.

Nice to know some Jigglypuff players still exist (I thought Hungrybox had dropped her in favor of Mario, but I guess I just heard something wrong). Shame there are so few though.

Yes, it is. I'm praying that Sakurai throws Puff a bone. At the very least, she'll remain a good doubles character. Nobody can take that away.

 

Says the guy who makes sweeping judgement on anything Rosalina-related, but I digress.

Aaaand in saying that you are just making a sweeping judgement about anything me related! ^_^;

But I digress. Or rather, we're done here.

 

Aaaand in saying that you are just making a sweeping judgement about anything me related! ^_^;

But I digress. Or rather, we're done here.

That's not a sweeping judgement. That's totally a fact and you know it. And saying otherwise makes it's too funny. But yeah, I think that settles it.

 

Nobody said they had to be good.

I hope you realize Jigglypuff has better results than Mewtwo. And that's not just because Mewtwo was released later. Hell, look at the rankings.

On a completely unrelated note, if you want a better Jigglypuff (without waiting for a buff Sakurai probably won't give), go play Game and Watch. He has all of her perks and more.

Jigglypuff still needs #Jigglybuffs.

 

On a completely unrelated note, if you want a better Jigglypuff (without waiting for a buff Sakurai probably won't give), go play Game and Watch. He has all of her perks and more.

Jigglypuff still needs #Jigglybuffs.

Nah, I'd rather stick with Jigglypuff. Game & Watch's out of shield options are garbage. And besides, while G&W may have the better ground game, Puff has the better air game. And she induces more salt.

 

Nah, I'd rather stick with Jigglypuff. Game & Watch's out of shield options are garbage. And besides, while G&W may have the better ground game, Puff has the better air game. And she induces more salt.

That last parts debatable (in my opinion). Game and Watch's is just as good, if not better.

 

That last parts debatable (in my opinion). Game and Watch's is just as good, if not better.

Definitely not better. Puff's aerials are safer on shield, string together easier, come out faster, and kill more reliably. Well, neutral and back air do, anyway. Puff also has 4 more jumps and higher air speed.

 

That's not a sweeping judgement. That's totally a fact and you know it. And saying otherwise makes it's too funny. But yeah, I think that settles it.

I'm afraid I don't know it as it isn't a fact, and you saying "that's totally a fact and you know it" is basically just further proving my point there, as it once again, makes a sweeping judgement about me. Even if you are utterly convinced you're right, even if you were stating the factual truth, you assuming I "know you're right" is literally the definition of a sweeping judgement.

Please don't rely heavily on purple prose like this, it does nothing for you or anyone else.

 

I'm afraid I don't know it as it isn't a fact, and you saying "that's totally a fact and you know it" is basically just further proving my point there, as it once again, makes a sweeping judgement about me. Even if you are utterly convinced you're right, even if you were stating the factual truth, you assuming I "know you're right" is literally the definition of a sweeping judgement.

Please don't rely heavily on purple prose like this, it does nothing for you or anyone else.

You're a purple prose to this site than I am to you. So in a way, you're the one running in circles.

 

You're a purple prose to this site than I am to you. So in a way, you're the one running in circles.

Now see, that just didn't even make grammatical sense...

 

Now see, that just didn't even make grammatical sense...

Wow, attacking my sentence structure? Christ, what are you doing?

 

Wow, attacking my sentence structure? Christ, what are you doing?

Nah it's just that it further emphasises the purple prose point. It's gotten to a point where it gets a bit confusing to make head nor tail of what you're trying to say since the wording is even getting messy! :V

In all seriousness though, you can quit trying to "1-UP" me now. If you don't have anything else to say relevant to the discussion here, then there is really nothing you have left to say to me.

 

Nah it's just that it further emphasises the purple prose point. It's gotten to a point where it gets a bit confusing to make head nor tail of what you're trying to say since the wording is even getting messy! :V

In all seriousness though, you can quit trying to "1-UP" me now. If you don't have anything else to say relevant to the discussion here, then there is really nothing you have left to say to me.

Well, making a concise judgement about me saying I'm a purple prose still isn't helping sweep out your Rosalina-flavored bias every time she's mentioned. But nevertheless, it's not surprising.

 

Well, making a concise judgement about me saying I'm a purple prose still isn't helping sweep out your Rosalina-flavored bias every time she's mentioned. But nevertheless, it's not surprising.

Don't see how there is any bias since I main and like both characters just fine but OK.

That's also ignoring the fact I don't factor personal taste into this kind of discussion as it means nothing.

 

Don't see how there is any bias since I main and like both characters just fine but OK.

That's also ignoring the fact I don't factor personal taste into this kind of discussion as it means nothing.

You kinda do though, which means everything. Don't sugarcoat it.

 

You kinda do though, which means everything. Don't sugarcoat it.

You're the only person sugar coating anything here.

 

You're the only person sugar coating anything here.

Oh really? I'm not the one heavily saying Mewtwo is a free meal to Rosalina compare to the rest of the higher ups. Which they have pure favorable matchups against him with little trouble. And even before Mewtwo's actual release, that's all I read from your posts. You should seriously take up in stand-up. I think I would die laughing at this denial.