The bottom part I copied my response to the Grenade Canceling thread, but anyways I feel snake is very much space control and just out playing neutral with grenades, jabs and well spaced fairs (seriously, this thing has so much shield stun if you land it, its disgusting). But what I feel will separate good snake players from godly snake players is their management of grenades and c4 placement. I feel trying to bait out c4 is a bit of a waste of time since most characters in this game seem to have a bit faster run speed and less landing lag in general, while snake got neither, and by trying to setup c4 combos I feel getting chip damage from grenade is a bit more important (10% per grenade really adds up quick, and people tend to get reckless towards the end of a game if snake is at a higher percent). Now I do feel like it is worth trying c4 setup every here and then if an opponent is at 90+ just as a good kill mix-up and make them rethink approaches, but it becomes a 1 trick pony really quick.
Useful tech:
-B-reversal (run in one direction, jump, press B and IMMEDIATELY the opposite direction of your momentum. This keeps momentum going towards the opposite direction and is very useful for grenades such as using up-B, cypher, early when recovering so that you end up being above the stage, and then B-reversing the grenade to really throw an opponent off).
-Crouch Cancelling (CC) your dash. While you are mid dash hold down, and you will be allowed to immediately use any move you please, but I mainly use it for dash dancing then surprising an enemy with a f-tilt or u-tilt. this can make for some really surprising kills.
Kill Options
-F-tilt *smacks gc controller* this bad boy comes out so fast it'll make you think you're sonic for a second. For real, it's like a second jab, but it can kill at 100 if it's not stale. First hit of Jab to F-tilt I find is a nice shield poke and some enemies drop their shield after the original jab. Also a great ledge trap option when your opponent is grabbed on ledge is to dash towards, away then immediately hit F-tilt. If they roll, the second hit will connect, if they get up attack, the second hit will clash. It will condition the enemy to jump from ledge which is when you get a free F-air spike.
-D-Air I find this move amazing for shield pressure IE drop grenade, opponent shields, d-Air their shield, and by the final hit the grenade will go off allowing you to either grab (because they're stuck in hitstun) or get a cheeky fair for a potential shield break. Works decently for roll from ledge, but I feel Snake has better options for covering this. I'm not sure if the final hit is a spike or not because most the time when I land it, the opponent is sent to the side.
-U-tilt It's like our godly F-tilt, but ment for being an anti air (if an opponent is approaching with air attacks, use this to stop them dead in their track 100% of the time - Ganon and Falcon D-air have something to say about that, but other than that it's a very useful tool).
-U-air I find this better as a tool for reads on if they air dodge. It does a nice amount of damage, but I feel the hitbox is a little slim, especially if playing with online lag.
-F-air this....thing.....it haunts me at night....how good a move can be and just as sexy. Hit with the heel and it's a spike, no ifs ands or butts (unless it's snake's) and if you hit with his upper leg part, oh would you look at that, I see a body flying into the blast zone! This thing rivals falcons D-air even, and I honestly can't wait till frame data is available so I can scoff at that godzilla sized hitbox. It can be stringed from 1st hit of jab -> d-tilt -> F-air. I've even been able to get it from f-throw at lower percents, gimping the hell out of a Lil'Mac (sorry, not sorry) and I find it works surprisingly well if you can time it after an opponent gets exploded from your grenade (I recommend run up with grenade, shield, and then get some free real estate).
Other Notes: I find c4 is useful at ledge if your opponent likes to re grab, or just as a general edge guard against characters who don't immediately grab ledge. Nikita is waifu like mentioned earlier, and I find that if you fly it right above the ledge and then cancel your missile (press shield) it makes for a nice ledge trap in which you can run up grab, and f-throw which can lead to a whole other mind game with your opponent. I don't like to Short hop N-air because I feel like I get hit out of it too often to be reliable, but when it works, it nicely links into F-tilt. Run up D-smash is surprisingly effective because it comes out fast and has low recovery (might be safe on block).
Below is how to grenade good.
1. pulling your grenade out
2. tapping shield (to drop the grenade asap)
3. pick it up by either jabbing or air dodging near the ground (don't recommend)
From here you can either z drop it because it has normal item properties now (if you tap your c stick fast your item will be thrown farther, slower for a lighter toss) or you can run up to your opponent and shield. Be careful with this as a skilled opponent will just grab and throw you and won't take damage due to i-frames from the throw. You can also air dodge past your opponent because in Ultimate you don't drop your grenades when you air dodge, and you get that i-frame period during your air dodge, which can lead to a fair if properly spaced.
Most important though GRENADES EXPLODE AFTER 2.5 SECONDS. Abuse this knowledge.
