• Welcome to Smashboards, the world's largest Super Smash Brothers community! Over 250,000 Smash Bros. fans from around the world have come to discuss these great games in over 19 million posts!

    You are currently viewing our boards as a visitor. Click here to sign up right now and start on your path in the Smash community!

Tips for fighting Zero Suit Samus

McD

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Mar 9, 2006
Messages
316
Location
GTA
Hey everyone

I'm having problems with Zero Suit Samus. I find her whip can just pull me in and my defensive game is not too strong. What do you recommend.

When I get her into a combo I'm golden but they are far and between. Luckily Zamus doesn't do a lot of knockback and low damage so we can stay at near equal percentage. But thats not good enough. My Ariel combat is even more difficult when she can just whip-stun me with no problems.

Thoughts?
 

GeZ

Smash Lord
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Messages
1,763
Location
The Speed Force
Hey everyone

I'm having problems with Zero Suit Samus. I find her whip can just pull me in and my defensive game is not too strong. What do you recommend.

When I get her into a combo I'm golden but they are far and between. Luckily Zamus doesn't do a lot of knockback and low damage so we can stay at near equal percentage. But thats not good enough. My Ariel combat is even more difficult when she can just whip-stun me with no problems.

Thoughts?

I get the feeling you might be pushing in too hard. Captain Falcon is not rush down, but more his own unique style of opportunity strikes. He plays really well in the neutral and is supposed to use his amazing movement to move around the stage deftly while looking (and sometimes pressing) for an opening. But it's a BAD habit to play too rush down as Captain Falcon's tools are not suited for that as much. I'd say just improve your overall game. Only dive in and pressure when it's a good situation to do so. It'll make you get slapped around less and make you start and finish your combos in the places you want to.
 

McD

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Mar 9, 2006
Messages
316
Location
GTA
Dude, you got it spot on. I'll try hanging back more!
I really enjoy being in peoples faces, like... non-stop. But Falcon is a punish character and I guess if I'm facing somebody who can out-match me I'm only biting my own butt.
Thanks man, next time I face him (monday) I'll report back :D!
 

GeZ

Smash Lord
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Messages
1,763
Location
The Speed Force
Dude, you got it spot on. I'll try hanging back more!
I really enjoy being in peoples faces, like... non-stop. But Falcon is a punish character and I guess if I'm facing somebody who can out-match me I'm only biting my own butt.
Thanks man, next time I face him (monday) I'll report back :D!

Sure dude. Most Falcon players, myself included, have a habit of getting impatient and getting punished for it. Hope your matches go better.
 

GingaBread

Smash Cadet
Joined
Jul 2, 2013
Messages
59
Location
Boise, ID
Yeah I have a buddy that plays a really good ZSS and for me it just came down to patience. Make some good initial punishes so he starts to second guess his decisions then apply pressure as necessary to keep him off balance and spaced out.
 

McD

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Mar 9, 2006
Messages
316
Location
GTA
So I havn't had a chance to fight my friend and his ZSS again.
But Samus came out yesterday and I found myself in old habits of getting extremely aggressive to combat insane amounts of incoming missiles.
Any tips for Samus while we have the ZSS thread going?
 

Drodeka

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
297
Location
Olympia, Washington
I agree with the first reply, so I'll just add to it.
In specific, try dash dancing just outside and inside the range of her side-special (the pull-in) to bait either that or her neutral B out, and if they come out, make sure to punish the shot with a D-air and the Side Special with either also down air, or wait out the attack and catch her with a grab.

In the air, always avoid being directly above her at all costs, making sure to get your DI down and to the sides as often as possible. While your air-game is all around better than hers, make sure you avoid being caught in the air while she is in control.

Flex whatever you have over her as often as possible (movement and pressure mostly), but don't get carried away with unnecessary movements, as these will likely be punished with her firing a lot and gaining stage control. She wants to be right in the center of the stage, forcing you to have little breathing room. If she gets there and you have platforms, try approaching her from a lower platform by using drop-knees, but don't space it poorly. If the hard hitbox lands, great, you've removed her stage control and you can begin your comfortable neutral game. If the soft-box lands, quickly decide to follow up with grab, well spaced N-air/D-air, or retreating swiftly, which can potentially bait a really slow attack from her.

When she puts the pressure on you, rolling is probably your worst option, because her grab punishes them so easily. If you can, try jumping from shield and getting on the furthest lower platform from her WITHOUT TRAVELING OVER HER, unless you have opportunity to strike from the air of course.

In general, just don't let her intimidate you. ZSS relies on momentum for a lot of her offensive play, and she's a punching bag when she doesn't have control.
Good luck, sir.
 
Last edited:

Drodeka

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
297
Location
Olympia, Washington
I haven't had the pleasure of playing a Samus matchup yet, so I can't spill the goodies on how it's done, but I also play Samus quite proficiently so here goes.

Your main obstacle will be the missile game. She's trying to use it to force you to hold still, so don't let it happen. You'll have a better time on stages with top platforms with low blast zones, like Yoshi's or Fountain of Dreams.

If she's short-hop missile-ing, simply take to a lower platform with a waveland, short hop from the far end, and throw a N-air that is spaced so that the second kick would just barely catch her with your thigh, going way passed her if you miss. This is because she has the option of back wavedashing and F-smashing you, but hopefully you're able to go far enough to where she would have to double wavedash, which she either doesn't have the room to do, or will attempt it and get grabbed. Remember she can begin to predict this and dash into Fire U-smash, but you can usually still dbl jump at the time she would want to be doing that, granting you a free dropping D-air or F-air.

Reserve the option to double jump out of your Short hop whenever possible, because Samus is kind of like a turret, and doesn't have any glaring blindspots while in place. The dbl jump will often bait an early U-smash or hop from her, and either of these will get her deliciously launched upward for combos (punish the hop by fastfalling then sprint to SHFFLd Up-air).

When she is charging B, don't assume you can just hit her out of it. Instead, try sprinting then shield. If she fires, it's blocked. If she stops charging in place, you can jump out of shield and reposition or try for some dropping aerials. If she rolls toward (usually out of panic), she will be grabbed. If she rolls back, you should Wavedash OoS and try to capitolize (don't attempt if you can't WD out of shield or if you simply didn't do it fast enough) with either grabs or D-airs, grabs being the quicker option.

A good Samus will often predict your shields against missiles and use this as an approach leading to sprinting grab. This is a simple game that actually benefits you. First, try jumping OoS and dropping an aerial. If she threw the grab, your next aerial is guaranteed, so make it count. If she retreated, make sure you don't try to come in out of expecting the grab, because you can still use your second jump to bait the U-Smash or hop or use it to retreat, landing on a platform or just getting away. Her final option most likely option for a lot of players if she saw the jump would be to wavedash back and go for missile games, which I've already covered a bit. The only option I see her taking besides these is jumping straight for you with F-air or N-air, both of which will lose to a dbl jump aerial on your end, usually knees :)

All I feel like typing right now, sorry.
Good luck, sir.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom