To those of you who main Falcon...

[Dan_X]

Hey guys,
In the past I mained Captain Falcon... I'm talking about 8+ years ago, as I mained him in Smash 64. I fell in love with other characters and left him in the dust come Melee. Now that Brawl is out, I've heard mixed things about how people feel about Captain Falcon. I decided to ask you guys what you think of his Brawl game. For the record, this is my first time visiting the Falcon section of the boards so I don't know what kind of things have already been gone over time and time again.

I played as Falcon last night in training mode, and I was immediately shocked at the negativity I heard regarding Falcon. I was able to combo well, though surely some of the combos would be avoidable via directional influence or air dodges, but still, I executed some nice follow ups to say the least.

Here are a few things I'd like to address right off the bat...

• His Knee:
It works differently than it ever has before but honestly, I think this is a good thing. It's not as spammable as it takes more skill to land. With that said, I had NO trouble whatsoever following up a series of attacks with the knee. It simple has a sweet spot now that it didn't have before.

• Bair:
This seems much more powerful than his Melee version of the attack, with more knock back anyway. Also, it's fairly simple to land his Bair. To be honest, his Bair feels more like it did in Smash 64.. which is a good thing.

•Dair:
Still very effective, easy to land, and has good spiking/gimping potential. Also, there seems to be little lag after using this move, so that's always good.

•His Speed:
This is obviously one of the perks to Falcon, he's fast, second fastest ground speed in the game. His speed must be taken advantage off, especially when dealing with a character such Snake, or any other character with projectiles.

•Uair:
Excellent move still, it can be angled to send the person behind you, can be followed up with a knee, up+b, or another Uair.

•Forward B:
This move is a great combo starter. I love using this move in combination wit ha series of Uairs followed by a knee.

Overall, I only spent about a half hour playing with Falcon in Brawl, but I'm not a noob, so I quickly found that he has quite a bit of potential, I already feel capable of going against my friends mains with him. One of them being Snake, which will be annoying but... oh well.

-- On an end note, I wish his utilt was the same that it was in Smash 64, as it was a good comboer.

Discuss.

Thanks guys.

 

[F5Hazardousdoc]

Falcon's fun to play as, but its hard to beat ikes or other characters with impressive air games, or people with good projectiles. I have the most trouble against marth, ike, falco, MK, and pit.

 

[BananaTrooper]

You have no idea how much I (and probably all the people who still frequent these boards) wish you were right. But the sad truth is, Captain Falcon's nerfs have really taken their toll. It may not look like it on a stationary CPU in training mode, but most the things you mentioned about Falcon won't work on a decent player.

The Knee:

The new sweetspot seriously hinders this move. It's fine and dandy when your opponent stands still, or doesn't DI at all; otherwise, this is a ***** to hit with. You simply can't reliably use this move in the air. It is possible to hit grounded opponents, but the setup for it telegraphs itself horridly. At best, this is a lucky/once in a while kill move.

Dair:

Unfortunately, this move is not nearly as effective as in melee. The nipple spike is gone, and the lag after landing is poor. In melee, the move was used mostly as a combo starter; in brawl, there are no combos. Dairing someone at low percents is like asking to eat an aerial. As for gimping, an uair is a better alternative. The dair is difficult to hit, doesn't spike reliably, and screws you over if you miss.

Speed:

Falcon never had any "speed". The speed of his regular attacks are mid speed at best, even in melee; however, in melee we had longers stun times, a knee that actually worked, the gentleman, and l-cancelling. As for running speed, the only thing it's good for is punishing opponents who leave themselves open on the other end of the map. For short distances, Falcon doesn't gain any significant advantage over other characters for having a fast running speed. The only moves Falcon has that are respectably fast are his uair, dash,bair and falcon kick (which are probably Falcon's best couple of moves).

Side b:

The problem with your thinking is that you still believe combos exist. Combos are dead. You might be able to land 1 uair semilegitimately after a side b(meaning your opponent could've avoided it, but the move simply came out too fast), but any more uairs than 1 means your opponent has screwed up. And finishing a series of uairs with a knee is downright impossible. The side b move still retains some use, as you can now use it to recover. However, its main functions in melee - mixup move and combo starter - are gone in brawl.


Uair:

Again, you assume combos still exist. Granted, uair is a great move - good priority, speed, and range. However, the problem with it is that the move doesn't really lead to anything useful. You cannot use it to lead into a knee, up-b, or even another uair. Also, with the % and knockback decay in brawl, the move won't kill at respecteable percents if it is spammed - a shame, because it's one of falcon's few reliable kill moves (the other good one being his d-smash).

Falcon feels great in practice - it's when he actually fights for real that he has issues. The guy has no simply has no priority. Sure, he has some redeeming moves (uair, bair, kick, stutter stepped fsmash), but most of his moves have no priority at all. The guy looks awesome against the sandbag; the problem is that every character looks awesome against the sandbag. The things you mentioned you'd do with falcon simply won' t work.

 

[Dan_X]

You have no idea how much I (and probably all the people who still frequent these boards) wish you were right. But the sad truth is, Captain Falcon's nerfs have really taken their toll. It may not look like it on a stationary CPU in training mode, but most the things you mentioned about Falcon won't work on a decent player.

The Knee:

The new sweetspot seriously hinders this move. It's fine and dandy when your opponent stands still, or doesn't DI at all; otherwise, this is a ***** to hit with. You simply can't reliably use this move in the air. It is possible to hit grounded opponents, but the setup for it telegraphs itself horridly. At best, this is a lucky/once in a while kill move.

Dair:

Unfortunately, this move is not nearly as effective as in melee. The nipple spike is gone, and the lag after landing is poor. In melee, the move was used mostly as a combo starter; in brawl, there are no combos. Dairing someone at low percents is like asking to eat an aerial. As for gimping, an uair is a better alternative. The dair is difficult to hit, doesn't spike reliably, and screws you over if you miss.

Speed:

Falcon never had any "speed". The speed of his regular attacks are mid speed at best, even in melee; however, in melee we had longers stun times, a knee that actually worked, the gentleman, and l-cancelling. As for running speed, the only thing it's good for is punishing opponents who leave themselves open on the other end of the map. For short distances, Falcon doesn't gain any significant advantage over other characters for having a fast running speed. The only moves Falcon has that are respectably fast are his uair, dash,bair and falcon kick (which are probably Falcon's best couple of moves).

Side b:

The problem with your thinking is that you still believe combos exist. Combos are dead. You might be able to land 1 uair semilegitimately after a side b(meaning your opponent could've avoided it, but the move simply came out too fast), but any more uairs than 1 means your opponent has screwed up. And finishing a series of uairs with a knee is downright impossible. The side b move still retains some use, as you can now use it to recover. However, its main functions in melee - mixup move and combo starter - are gone in brawl.


Uair:

Again, you assume combos still exist. Granted, uair is a great move - good priority, speed, and range. However, the problem with it is that the move doesn't really lead to anything useful. You cannot use it to lead into a knee, up-b, or even another uair. Also, with the % and knockback decay in brawl, the move won't kill at respecteable percents if it is spammed - a shame, because it's one of falcon's few reliable kill moves (the other good one being his d-smash).

Falcon feels great in practice - it's when he actually fights for real that he has issues. The guy has no simply has no priority. Sure, he has some redeeming moves (uair, bair, kick, stutter stepped fsmash), but most of his moves have no priority at all. The guy looks awesome against the sandbag; the problem is that every character looks awesome against the sandbag. The things you mentioned you'd do with falcon simply won' t work.

Thanks for the hefty reply. I wasn't aware of all of this. For the hell of it, I'll try using him once or twice against my friends to see what you've said in action. Hmm, I want to see how well I can land the knee on a human opponent. Unfortunately, one of my friends mains Pit, who shoots arrows to no avail. That could be problematic.

 

[Runeblade279]

You have no idea how much I (and probably all the people who still frequent these boards) wish you were right. But the sad truth is, Captain Falcon's nerfs have really taken their toll. It may not look like it on a stationary CPU in training mode, but most the things you mentioned about Falcon won't work on a decent player.

The Knee:

The new sweetspot seriously hinders this move. It's fine and dandy when your opponent stands still, or doesn't DI at all; otherwise, this is a ***** to hit with. You simply can't reliably use this move in the air. It is possible to hit grounded opponents, but the setup for it telegraphs itself horridly. At best, this is a lucky/once in a while kill move.

Dair:

Unfortunately, this move is not nearly as effective as in melee. The nipple spike is gone, and the lag after landing is poor. In melee, the move was used mostly as a combo starter; in brawl, there are no combos. Dairing someone at low percents is like asking to eat an aerial. As for gimping, an uair is a better alternative. The dair is difficult to hit, doesn't spike reliably, and screws you over if you miss.

Speed:

Falcon never had any "speed". The speed of his regular attacks are mid speed at best, even in melee; however, in melee we had longers stun times, a knee that actually worked, the gentleman, and l-cancelling. As for running speed, the only thing it's good for is punishing opponents who leave themselves open on the other end of the map. For short distances, Falcon doesn't gain any significant advantage over other characters for having a fast running speed. The only moves Falcon has that are respectably fast are his uair, dash,bair and falcon kick (which are probably Falcon's best couple of moves).

Side b:

The problem with your thinking is that you still believe combos exist. Combos are dead. You might be able to land 1 uair semilegitimately after a side b(meaning your opponent could've avoided it, but the move simply came out too fast), but any more uairs than 1 means your opponent has screwed up. And finishing a series of uairs with a knee is downright impossible. The side b move still retains some use, as you can now use it to recover. However, its main functions in melee - mixup move and combo starter - are gone in brawl.


Uair:

Again, you assume combos still exist. Granted, uair is a great move - good priority, speed, and range. However, the problem with it is that the move doesn't really lead to anything useful. You cannot use it to lead into a knee, up-b, or even another uair. Also, with the % and knockback decay in brawl, the move won't kill at respecteable percents if it is spammed - a shame, because it's one of falcon's few reliable kill moves (the other good one being his d-smash).

Falcon feels great in practice - it's when he actually fights for real that he has issues. The guy has no simply has no priority. Sure, he has some redeeming moves (uair, bair, kick, stutter stepped fsmash), but most of his moves have no priority at all. The guy looks awesome against the sandbag; the problem is that every character looks awesome against the sandbag. The things you mentioned you'd do with falcon simply won' t work.

It's madness to deny that Falcon did not recieve a nerf, whether it be from character or gameplay mechanics, who knows..

But I don't agree with some of your assessments. Yes, the knee is harder to use effectively now, but it IS hands down his best kill move, setting up for it or mindgaming (yeah it's thrown around, but it's a simple word) them into it is doable. Also ledgehopping.

The dair is awful now. You're right. =/

But Falcon's speed is his greatest asset, I think you've underestimated that. His chasing game is phenomenal, he may not combo any more, but he can string hits very well, and he does very well when keeping pressure on your opponent, because he's so fast. He may not have moves which have little enough knockback to combo with, but he can run so fast it -almost- doesn't matter.

Side-B is definitely less useful, but it DOES put your opponent in the air with you below them, which is the most advantageous position for the good captain. Also can be used for tech chases, but for a vanilla approach move, falcon kick and dash A are better.

Uair is sexy. I spam it probably a little -too- much, but I usually just use my chase game and kill at around 120% with them near one of the edges, even with decay. Off-edge pressuring is one of Falcon's greatest assets, due to his speed, solid and demon-fast aerial game, and great recovery.

But yeah, no priority really, really bites. Falcon's all about baiting and punishing, dodging and coutnerattacking, as well as keeping up the pressure. He's a tough guy to play, but he's been my main since 64 and he's STILL the most fun, so I'm glad he's my main. =)

Oh, and I'd like to note that though utilt is no longer a combo tool, it's a great way to stuff aggressive players, and also a good KO move, it's got knockback to spare.

 

[Dan_X]

It's madness to deny that Falcon did not recieve a nerf, whether it be from character or gameplay mechanics, who knows..

But I don't agree with some of your assessments. Yes, the knee is harder to use effectively now, but it IS hands down his best kill move, setting up for it or mindgaming (yeah it's thrown around, but it's a simple word) them into it is doable. Also ledgehopping.

The dair is awful now. You're right. =/

But Falcon's speed is his greatest asset, I think you've underestimated that. His chasing game is phenomenal, he may not combo any more, but he can string hits very well, and he does very well when keeping pressure on your opponent, because he's so fast. He may not have moves which have little enough knockback to combo with, but he can run so fast it -almost- doesn't matter.

Side-B is definitely less useful, but it DOES put your opponent in the air with you below them, which is the most advantageous position for the good captain. Also can be used for tech chases, but for a vanilla approach move, falcon kick and dash A are better.

Uair is sexy. I spam it probably a little -too- much, but I usually just use my chase game and kill at around 120% with them near one of the edges, even with decay. Off-edge pressuring is one of Falcon's greatest assets, due to his speed, solid and demon-fast aerial game, and great recovery.

But yeah, no priority really, really bites. Falcon's all about baiting and punishing, dodging and coutnerattacking, as well as keeping up the pressure. He's a tough guy to play, but he's been my main since 64 and he's STILL the most fun, so I'm glad he's my main. =)

Oh, and I'd like to note that though utilt is no longer a combo tool, it's a great way to stuff aggressive players, and also a good KO move, it's got knockback to spare.

good points. Yeah, that's what I was thinking when I said his speed is still one of his best assets. I wasn't referring to the speed at which his attacks come out, but the speed he moves on the ground... Like you said, he has great chase potential, and as such can be a pain in the *** if you don't let your enemy breath.

P.S. Nice sig lol ;D

 

[BananaTrooper]

It's madness to deny that Falcon did not recieve a nerf, whether it be from character or gameplay mechanics, who knows..

But I don't agree with some of your assessments. Yes, the knee is harder to use effectively now, but it IS hands down his best kill move, setting up for it or mindgaming (yeah it's thrown around, but it's a simple word) them into it is doable. Also ledgehopping.

The dair is awful now. You're right. =/

But Falcon's speed is his greatest asset, I think you've underestimated that. His chasing game is phenomenal, he may not combo any more, but he can string hits very well, and he does very well when keeping pressure on your opponent, because he's so fast. He may not have moves which have little enough knockback to combo with, but he can run so fast it -almost- doesn't matter.

Side-B is definitely less useful, but it DOES put your opponent in the air with you below them, which is the most advantageous position for the good captain. Also can be used for tech chases, but for a vanilla approach move, falcon kick and dash A are better.

Uair is sexy. I spam it probably a little -too- much, but I usually just use my chase game and kill at around 120% with them near one of the edges, even with decay. Off-edge pressuring is one of Falcon's greatest assets, due to his speed, solid and demon-fast aerial game, and great recovery.

But yeah, no priority really, really bites. Falcon's all about baiting and punishing, dodging and coutnerattacking, as well as keeping up the pressure. He's a tough guy to play, but he's been my main since 64 and he's STILL the most fun, so I'm glad he's my main. =)

Oh, and I'd like to note that though utilt is no longer a combo tool, it's a great way to stuff aggressive players, and also a good KO move, it's got knockback to spare.

His running speed is a plus to be sure, but I haven't found it something that gives him a particular edge. Still, I suppose it's better to be fast, than to be slow as a sloth.I think you're right about the pressuring part of his speed. The problem is that brawl really puts a damper on pressure oriented play, as it is so **** easy to camp now. I personally have a tough time pressuring any campy character like TL or Pit (or even a well played Peach) - campy spot dodging, air dodging, projectiles, or even just the good ol shield grab really hinder my pressuring game.

As for the knee, I still find it a situational killer at best. When I play a falcon, all I really need to do is spot dodge in place to stop the knee from connecting. For falcon, punishing a spamming spot dodger is nigh impossible, thanks to the lag after his moves. Delaying the knee in the air doesn't really work either, as the other player can easily spot dodge again. Still, the knee is indeed one of Falcon's best kill moves (#1 being uair in my books). I have trouble with it, but if you can use it effectively, all the more knees for you

BTW, what's a vanilla approach move?

 

[Mann]

Actual gameplay > Training mode.

http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=159469

People will find themselves having a hard time playing in a competitive scene with C. Falcon. The only real combos Falcon has are 2 hitters. Anything more means your opponent is making mistakes / you can read them easier than they can read you.

 

[Runeblade279]

good points. Yeah, that's what I was thinking when I said his speed is still one of his best assets. I wasn't referring to the speed at which his attacks come out, but the speed he moves on the ground... Like you said, he has great chase potential, and as such can be a pain in the *** if you don't let your enemy breath.

P.S. Nice sig lol ;D

Yeah, that's basically the crux of my falcon game, along with bait and punish, haha.

And yes, I love my sig. XD

His running speed is a plus to be sure, but I haven't found it something that gives him a particular edge. Still, I suppose it's better to be fast, than to be slow as a sloth.I think you're right about the pressuring part of his speed. The problem is that brawl really puts a damper on pressure oriented play, as it is so **** easy to camp now. I personally have a tough time pressuring any campy character like TL or Pit (or even a well played Peach) - campy spot dodging, air dodging, projectiles, or even just the good ol shield grab really hinder my pressuring game.

As for the knee, I still find it a situational killer at best. When I play a falcon, all I really need to do is spot dodge in place to stop the knee from connecting. For falcon, punishing a spamming spot dodger is nigh impossible, thanks to the lag after his moves. Delaying the knee in the air doesn't really work either, as the other player can easily spot dodge again. Still, the knee is indeed one of Falcon's best kill moves (#1 being uair in my books). I have trouble with it, but if you can use it effectively, all the more knees for you

BTW, what's a vanilla approach move?

Indeed, the campier characters it's harder, and especially once people start to learn to dodge your moves, it's so derned difficult. The counter is to avoid laggy moves unless you know they'll hit, and use your own dodges/shielding, whilst keeping at an optimal range to your opponent. (This depends on the opponent, like with wolf, ike, marth, or pikachu, it's all about hit and run, stay away for awhile then hit and go back; but like TL and Pit, stay just out of range of their sword if possible and keep close. Falcon matchups are alot different in Brawl, in melee it was mostly just knee them.)

And a vanilla approach move meaning it can just be used almost whenever, as it's a safe move and has a good chance of landing, like the old raptor boost. It wasn't quite a vanilla approach move, but much more applicable than the new one.

 

[abit_rusty]

BananaTrooper nailed it on the head.

Frankly, I would have given back the buffed specials just to retain CF's combo-ing ability and better aerials, but you and I both know that isn't going to ever happen.

 

[KeyKid19]

Dair is great if you connect with it. It's WAY too hard to connect with though so its usefulness is limited (and many say that it has none at all but I disagree). Dair is still the ultimate spike if you are coming down on an opponent who is below the edge and trying to get vertically up to the stage. Seriously I am starting to use Dair more and more as an edgeguard IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS because I'm quite accurate with it in those situations and it generally kills. Now, is this a good move? Overall no. But it still has situational merit and ignoring its usefulness is ignoring a piece of Falcon's game that can make you a better Falcon player. I know that BananaTrooper has seen me use Dair in matches against him and even though it is not a surefire thing anymore like it pretty much was in Melee, it still can be used in an effective way. Other than that though it definitely is terrible. No ground use whatsoever.

As for The Knee, I honestly would say that I connect with it pretty regularly if you take into account how much more difficult it is now. Is it only useable in the event of your opponent making a mistake? Certainly. But do opponents make mistakes? Yes. And when then do you can punish with The Knee. Does it work all the time? No, you're going to miss. That's a given. Is the payoff of a sweetspot enough to counterbalance the gimp knees? I find it to be so in my play. Granted, some days I just don't have it and can't land a knee for my life. But if I find myself living in one of those days, I adapt my game. Whether you use it or not, the knee is still a good option to have. Brawl Knee + Brawl Dair = Angst directed at Sakurai though. Seriously you can't just demolish two staple moves like that. And yes they are demolished forms from Melee. But I find that they are both still useable.

Oh and one quick comment on the speed debate. His speed is still a great attribute. It pressures your opponent which leads them to be more mistake-prone which leads them to getting hit by The Knee (or something else that's powerful). This is the staple strategy of my Brawl Falcon game and I find it to be effective. Think how scary Ike would be if he was as fast of a runner as Falcon. Granted Falcon =/= Ike but the point still remains.

 

[abit_rusty]

KeyKid is freakin on the money too.

 

[Kirby M.D.]

Okay, it's hard to connect with the Dair if you try to SH it normally, that's true. However, if you "Thunder Stomp" with Falcon, it gets much, much easier to hit. It's lagless too, just like GDorf's. Don't do it into shields without crossing up or DI'ing back, that's asking for trouble.

You've gotta play Falcon like a pro though; have to think many moves in advance to get something really going. However, when the plan comes together, the good Cap'n is just as **** as his Melee counterpart. Give it a year; he's got the tools to be great but it takes a long time to hone them.

 

[IcantWin]

Actual gameplay > Training mode.

http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=159469

People will find themselves having a hard time playing in a competitive scene with C. Falcon. The only real combos Falcon has are 2 hitters. Anything more means your opponent is making mistakes / you can read them easier than they can read you.

You are correct sir, At X.E.S.T.I.C.L.E., I entered with MK, played some friendlies, and then went into the tourney as C.Falcon. Yes, I was eliminated first round to an experienced Olimar player, but the matter of fact is that I had a good time playing, and was giving many props by random people just for playing Falcon.

Pulling off three knees within the first minute of the match had a small crowd of people screaming behind me, which feels great. I continue to play Falcon and will do until my head explodes.

 

[PredictablyStubborn]

I'll say this:
Winning with Falcon is one of the hardest thing to do in this game against serious players.

 

[IcantWin]

I'll say this:
Winning with Falcon is one of the hardest thing to do in this game against serious players.

I'll say this: You're right, to a degree. We could get into an endless discussion on how the tier system works, and how some believe (myself) that in Brawl, if people highlight certain characters and place them in tiers, they will be chosen more by people, allowing a further development of their meta game.

Who's to say that Falcon has a crappy Meta Game? Sure his priority is low, but maybe that was changed for a reason, and maybe it can be worked on through long hours of practice, I know I'm going to. Hey, those hours may be a waste, but I'll sure enjoy it, cuz I'm a ****in die hard Falcon-fan.

 

[KeyKid19]

You are correct sir, At X.E.S.T.I.C.L.E., I entered with MK, played some friendlies, and then went into the tourney as C.Falcon. Yes, I was eliminated first round to an experienced Olimar player, but the matter of fact is that I had a good time playing, and was giving many props by random people just for playing Falcon.

Pulling off three knees within the first minute of the match had a small crowd of people screaming behind me, which feels great. I continue to play Falcon and will do until my head explodes.

Falcon is always a crowd favorite and when people see a good Falcon in Brawl they will pay a lot of attention to it (especially because a lot of them were probably Melee Falcon mainers who dropped him in Brawl lol). Honestly all it takes is one person in the entire world to get even mildly **** with Falcon and people will start switching back over like crazy. Honestly the greater majority of people I talk to really want to see Falcon succeed like he did in Melee (and the people who don't want to see that just have sour grapes from being traumatized by The Knee so much in Melee). If/When Falcon ever develops into a decent/good character, you can expect him to get selected a lot more like he did in Melee. The tricky part is developing him into a decent/good character. lol If anyone can figure that one out it will be a great day for Falcon fans everywhere.

It's hard to develop a character quickly when there's only a handful of followers though.

 

[IcantWin]

Falcon is always a crowd favorite and when people see a good Falcon in Brawl they will pay a lot of attention to it (especially because a lot of them were probably Melee Falcon mainers who dropped him in Brawl lol). Honestly all it takes is one person in the entire world to get even mildly **** with Falcon and people will start switching back over like crazy. Honestly the greater majority of people I talk to really want to see Falcon succeed like he did in Melee (and the people who don't want to see that just have sour grapes from being traumatized by The Knee so much in Melee). If/When Falcon ever develops into a decent/good character, you can expect him to get selected a lot more like he did in Melee. The tricky part is developing him into a decent/good character. lol If anyone can figure that one out it will be a great day for Falcon fans everywhere.

It's hard to develop a character quickly when there's only a handful of followers though.

I can't agree more,

I've made this point in other posts and will continue to until my tongues cut out for repetitiveness; Falcon has a whole new Meta-Game, I plan on working through the kinks to develop it more.

A point of reference, IF KNEE IS HARD TO SPAM, DON'T SPAM IT! Sure Falcon was great in Melee, I mained him then as i do today, it was spammable then, making it a part of all his combos. ---> Falcon's knee is no longer spammable, so I don't include it in my strategies as often as I'd like (***keeping in mind that this is Brawl, not Melee.***), but if there is an opportune time to pull one off, I'll do it, and will reap those ****ing kick-*** rewards.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the low priority, again, I can give myself the excuse that he has a new Meta-Game (man thats gunna get old fast)

 

[Runeblade279]

I can't agree more,

I've made this point in other posts and will continue to until my tongues cut out for repetitiveness; Falcon has a whole new Meta-Game, I plan on working through the kinks to develop it more.

A point of reference, IF KNEE IS HARD TO SPAM, DON'T SPAM IT! Sure Falcon was great in Melee, I mained him then as i do today, it was spammable then, making it a part of all his combos. ---> Falcon's knee is no longer spammable, so I don't include it in my strategies as often as I'd like (***keeping in mind that this is Brawl, not Melee.***), but if there is an opportune time to pull one off, I'll do it, and will reap those ****ing kick-*** rewards.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the low priority, again, I can give myself the excuse that he has a new Meta-Game (man thats gunna get old fast)

Actually I've been pondering a possible strategy using gimp knees as damage builders rather than uairs, then saving your uair stale counter in order to KO with it...

But it probably won't work due to the fact that even hitting with a gimp knee doesn't have good range or priority. I'm doing just fine anyways, but more strategery never hurts.

 

[IcantWin]

Actually I've been pondering a possible strategy using gimp knees as damage builders rather than uairs, then saving your uair stale counter in order to KO with it...

But it probably won't work due to the fact that even hitting with a gimp knee doesn't have good range or priority. I'm doing just fine anyways, but more strategy never hurts.

Gimp knees as dmg builders can actually help in some ways. Though I tend to lean away from using it only because of *exactly what you said*, low priority and range.

Building on that, I tend to still use Uairs, but if the time calls for it, a gimp knee leading to a second hop sweet spotted second knee usually lands, I want to say at least 75, maybe 80% of the time on lower percents.

EDIT: Grammar
EDIT EDIT: Nice Signature ><

 

[Chris is me]

I like his Dair too, though for a midair spike raptor's a bit better and it's way harder to land. His Raptor Boost barely works as a combo starter at low percentages, leading into a uair or two maybe. His Bair is badass, yes. Learning the newer Knee took me a few days, but now I have few problems with it, and sometimes I can play mindgames with flubbed knees to get guys rocked.

 

[KeyKid19]

If you're going to use the gimp knee as a damager to save the staling of other moves, why not use jabs? Seriously they are drastically faster, never lag, and do about the same amount of damage. Plus as ZodiakLucien showed, the jabs can be very effective in combat while the gimp knee is not so much. The only reason I like the gimp knee at all is because it has long duration so you're able to gimp people before they can attack you. I find myself using Full hop -> Gimp -> Fast Fall sometimes just because it lasts long enough to hit them.

Also I don't think Falcon was given bad priority because he can be metagamed into something good that would be broken with good priority. I think Sakurai just ctrl C -> ctrl V-ed Falcon's Melee priority into Brawl and then it just turned out that Falcon got wrecked in the new physics engine afterwards. I highly doubt that there is any hidden purpose for Falcon's bad priority other than it just being a case of Sakurai being lazy and not taking the time to update Falcon so that he's a good character still.

 

[F5Hazardousdoc]

The gimp knee makes people trip sometimes, which I can exploit into a down smash, or by sidestepping a get up attack or chasing techs I can punish. Capt falcon has potential, but his mindgame has to be good. With that insane speed and sheer nostalgia hes got going, it could be easier than previously though.

Quick note: To falcon punch haters, think of it like a more versatile smash attack. You can turn it, you can use it in mid air, and you even can DI if you turn it, making it a very versatile move, unlike snake's or ike's Fsmashes. With very similiar power. I've been landing more and more punches recently, mostly for roll punishing or predicting a shorthop.

 

[Tenki]

Coming from someone who uses Ganondorf a fair bit, but Falcon Punch isn't that slow o_O;

A non-reverse Falcon Punch is pretty fast, and if you mess around with 360 punches, your opponent might get used to that timing and get caught by normal aerial FP.

and an aerial (tap backwards)+B falcon punch might be confused for a reverse punch, so that can throw people off too.

PS:
Runeblade, any idea what movie that clip is from? lol

 

[epic of DE]

yeah, falcon lost a good deal of his specialty in brawl mostly due to the game physics but he's not garbage if you can learn how he moves. That being said, falcon tends to have difficulty against smaller characters (Metaknight, Wario at times) and other characters do outprioritize him in most situations such a marth but proper use of of U-air and B-air does offer him a fighting chance against the recognized "good" characters.

And Tenki, I think that might be from the movie "The Protector" starring Tony Jaa(?)

 

[Runeblade279]

Coming from someone who uses Ganondorf a fair bit, but Falcon Punch isn't that slow o_O;

A non-reverse Falcon Punch is pretty fast, and if you mess around with 360 punches, your opponent might get used to that timing and get caught by normal aerial FP.

and an aerial (tap backwards)+B falcon punch might be confused for a reverse punch, so that can throw people off too.

PS:
Runeblade, any idea what movie that clip is from? lol

Have no idea, could be that Protector movie or it could not be, I just saw someone else with it and stolez it.

And yeah, Falcon Punch is a good move, you just can't mingame by charging it as with a smash attack. Instead, you mindgame via aerial movement and reversing.

 

[Roller]

Falcon shouldn't be mained...

 

[KeyKid19]

Falcon shouldn't be mained...

Great post.

 

[Testament27]

In order to become falcon, one must exceed falcon.

imo, it wil be interesting to see falcon go against the top dogs in evo this year. im rootin for him. trying to hone my skills, as he is officially on my A team.

 

[Sephiroth27]

As a Falcon main, I definitely agree that the nerfs have taken their toll. However, I must say that stages with platforms help him out alot. Obviously for keeping them stranded above you while you spam uairs or whatever, but it also makes it easier to try and land a knee.

I'm not saying that Falcon is platform dependant, but it sure does help out.

 

[Iwan]

Have no idea, could be that Protector movie or it could not be, I just saw someone else with it and stolez it.

And yeah, Falcon Punch is a good move, you just can't mingame by charging it as with a smash attack. Instead, you mindgame via aerial movement and reversing.

LOL...it is indeed from the protector. Tony Jaa= real life Captain Falcon. Seriously.

And on topic...We do have a rather small Falcon following as of now. But I'm going to be playing constantly this summer, both at tournaments with Falcon and just messing around with him in training mode, relentlessly hitting random buttons to try and find something somehow . I'll check for mindgame tactics, i'll look for some way to form a good metagame...I main Falco, but this summer is the summer of Captain Falcon. And hopefully I main Falcon instead of Falco at the end of the summer .

Also, we have other people like KeyKid, BananaTrooper, ICantWin, Artie Boy...the list goes on. There are still Falcon players out there who will find SOME WAY to represent the community of falcon players. Bad characters (according to tier list), were made good in melee, simply because of skillful play by smart players.

Lets get smart guys . Haha...i think there's still hope for falcon.

 

[Reaver197]

Also, we have other people like KeyKid, BananaTrooper, ICantWin, Artie Boy...the list goes on. There are still Falcon players out there who will find SOME WAY to represent the community of falcon players. Bad characters (according to tier list), were made good in melee, simply because of skillful play by smart players.

I'm insulted I'm not on that list.

Then again, I don't really play Brawl too much. Eh, carry on.

But I see what you're doing...I'm watching you now...

with my kittens...

 

[IcantWin]

Every time I see responses downing Captain Falcon, I'm going to simply say (which goes for this post too); Captain Falcon is not the Falcon from Melee, his Meta-Game is now different, and requires more patience and discipline to play, as you can no longer run around at lightning speed kneeing peoples eyeballs out of their heads.

What I've done and what others should try also: Experiment with Falcon, be slow, wait for openings, don't be reckless, as it will leave you open. U-Tilt, U-Air, use them, master them, and KNOW when to knee.