Thanks for the tips! I have it mostly figured out now. Just seems pretty counter-intuitive compared to how a lot of similar tech works in PM... but...
Basically I have it narrowed down to these important details, for anyone else who may be curious:
- During Side-B you can adjust the minion's initial spawn toss trajectory with the control stick, to throw it more upward or more downward at first.
- To waddle toss: air dodge sideways into the minion. This will automatically cause you to grab it, move sideways a fixed distance and then toss the minion again, all with the single L/R button press. It is extremely easy to perform.
- You cannot waddle toss upward, downward or at any diagonal angle. Waddle tossing will always move you directly to the side (left or right).
- Dedede will always toss the minion in the direction he is facing (and you cannot adjust its trajectory during waddle toss like you can during Side-B).
- All three minion types can be waddle-tossed, including Gordos (even in 3.6).
There's a lot of mix-ups that can be performed with this technique, and it gives Dedede a lot of much needed mobility, both on the ground and in the air. However, its applications are very limited, and it requires pretty specific conditions before it can be used (i.e. you need a minion close by). So try to be as unpredictable as possible, because if they see it coming and know where you're heading it's very easy to punish. It will always move you a fixed distance in a fixed direction, it just happens really fast, which is the only real advantage it gives you on the ground.
To use waddle dashing effectively to help you recover, the key is to initially throw the minion at an upward angle with Side-B. That way you will have enough time for it to slowly fall down during your endlag and still be high enough in the air for you to waddle-toss. There's quite a bit of leeway here, and with some practice you can mix this up quite a bit, between your three jumps, slightly different upward angles of Side-B, and actually waddle-tossing at different times, depending on where the minion and your opponent are. You can even waddle toss super low if needed, because your Up-B can still get you to the ledge in most cases (just be careful not to get stuck under the stage during Up-B).
A few other helpful tips for aspiring PM Dedede players:
- To cancel your Up-B animation, just tap down on the control stick at any time to cancel it into free-fall animation (you won't be able to do anything but grab ledge).
- You can Up-B in either direction and still change directions when you tap down to face the right way for ledge grab if needed (you can also drift a lot in free-fall to adjust).
- Every once in a while, letting your Up-B actually finish the pound animation on the ground near your opponent can be a good mix-up and difficult to punish if they don't see it coming. However, if they are even a little bit prepared, you will probably be in trouble. Your safest Up-B option will always be cancelling to the ledge.
- Gordo (the spike ball) has a time-limit, but this limit is paused while you are waddle-dashing, so you can sometimes fake out inexperienced players, making them think it should have despawned before it hits them. Gordos are extremely powerful and shouldn't be underestimated.
- If you press A when standing on the ground near a minion you will toss it instead of performing an attack (this is not a waddle toss - you don't move yourself). This can be useful, but mostly it will probably frustrate you because it may happen when you are trying to actually attack your enemy instead. This means that while waddle dash is helpful, having a minion next to you will remove some of your options as well, so it's important to keep that in mind.
- Neutral B (Inhale) can be a good mix-up against overly aggressive opponents! After you spit them out, you have a number of possible followups including FAir.
- Don't forget about Dededecide (suicide kill)! If an opponent is camping right at the ledge trying to edgeguard you, they have low damage and you have the lead and/or high damage yourself, you can sometimes use Neutral B (Inhale) to suck them right off the edge and down into the depths below along with you, without giving them a chance to escape! Just be very careful, because in a lot of cases you will not have a chance to recover if you miss.
The most important thing to remember when playing Dedede, is that you will lose very hard in close combat to pretty much every character in the game, so your primary goal should always be keeping your distance, winning neutral and playing it safe if you want to win. You will mostly want to use waddle dashing either to retreat or to get back to the stage (but again, don't be afraid to mix things up, as a fast waddle-dash approach into grab or BAir can be quite effective at the right time, it's just risky). As Dedede you have basically no moves that come out quick enough to stop a skilled close combat assault, and on top of that, you're one of the easiest to combo characters in the game. The only things that can make up for these insane weaknesses are your great range/disjoint, powerful combo and punish game, and your ability to fight almost anywhere off-stage and still return. Use these tools effectively, and you might just have a chance!
