highandmightyjoe
Smash Ace
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Pros and Cons
III. Advanced Techniques
IV. Move Analysis
V. General Strategy
VI. Recovery
VII. Conclusion
I. Introduction
Welcome to my Zero Suit Samus guide. Brawl is still in its early stages and the metagame hasn't completely developed, but hopefully this guide will give a general outline of how to play Zamus, as well as an analysis of her strengths and weaknesses.
II. Pros and Cons
Pros
III. Advanced Techniques
A comprehensive list of all the advanced techniques can be found here. http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=142139
I will only be discussing the ones that directly apply to Zamus's game.
Jab Fakes
Discovered by Dmbrandon.
This involves doing the first one or two hits of your jab combo, then pressing shield during the last few frames of your last attack, which allows you to lead into another attack. This is not as useful to Zamus as it is to some other characters, but it does have uses.
First of all you can jab fake into your Downsmash which leads to all kinds of great possibilities. However, even with jab fakes this move is far from guaranteed to land, so don't depend on it.
You can also jab fake into her tilts, which are pretty nice for the most part. However, your probably just better off using the tilts to begin with, seeing as how 4 extra damage isn't really worth the hassle, and it doesn't have much use beyond that.
Hyphen Smashing
Discovered by Dmbrandon.
This technique involves pressing up on the c-stick while dashing in order to use your upSmash out of dash. Zamus is one of the best characters to do this with as her initial dashing animation is rather quick and her upSmash fairly good. This is best demonstrated by doing a down throw which will launch your opponent upward and in front of you. You can then dash to upSmash as a quick follow-up, allowing you to quickly get below them and add some quick damage onto that throw.
Note that if you are b-sticking you can actually "Hyphen upB" instead, though it is slightly more complicated. You cannot simply tap the dash button and then use the c-stick up, because this will cause you to jump. Instead you have to be holding the control stick to dash, and then use the c-stick. If you are not c-sticking then you can still dash to upB, but it will require a slight pause and is therefore slower. All together though, the up Smash is more reliable, and easier to land.
RAR (Reverse Aerial Rush)
Discovered by OoNoiroO
This involves dashing and then smashing the control stick in the opposite direction and jumping at the same time, which results in you jumping with your back turned while still maintaining your forward momentum. This is extemely useful for many characters as alot of them have far better Bairs than Faris. However, I don't see it as quite so useful with Zamus because her Fair and Bair are both quite good.
However, there are situations where this is very useful. For example, while Fair is better at racking up damage, Bair is faster and has better knockback, so RARing off stage to Bair a recovering opponent is a very useful edgeguarding technique.
Also, I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere, but you can actually do the RAR in reverse. What I mean is instead of running toward your opponent with a Bair, you can run away from them with a Fair. The procedure for doing this is identical to that of the RAR, just do it in reverse. Not quite as useful as the usual method, but just something to be aware of.
Gliding Toss
Discovered by I.T.P.
This is a very useful technique for Zamus. It allows you to throw an object while advancing on the opponent at the same time. Extremely useful with her armor parts.
B-sticking
A video guide on B-sticking can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Wix_KsK5g
A thread by k4polo about applications to Zamus can be found here http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=154740
This technique basically gives more versitility to your Specials. It is easier to land a ForwardB sweetspot while B-sticking which is nice because it is your main KO move. It also makes Hyphen-upB possible, which I will discuss later. However, it takes away your ability to smash with the c-stick, and use the c-stick for aerials. Please note that anything that can be done with one configuration can be done with the other, changing your setup just makes some things easier and some things harder. So it's really just a matter of personal preference.
IV. Move Analysis
Ground Attacks
In general Zamus's ground attacks are very good. They offer a strong balance of both speed, range, and power. They are also easily combo'ed into and out of.
Jab Combo
2%, 2%, 3%
This is your basic jab combo. It begins with two fast hits that do little damage, and ends in a third hit that knocks the opponent slightly away from you. Generally not very useful, except in a few situations which I will touch on later.
Dash Attack
7%
As dash attacks go this one is pretty good. It's quick, and leaves the opponent in a prime position for you to follow up on. This move can be followed up with any of her tilts. A very basic combo starter, but be careful because you can be shield grabbed out of this.
Up-tilt
5%, 6%
11 damage isn't bad for a tilt, especially one this good, and it knocks the opponent straight up above you leaving them open for a follow-up in the air. Not to mention that like all her tilts it's quite fast.
Down-tilt
6%
This is another great combo starter. Its knockback is up and forward as opposed to straight up on the up-tilt. Also it has much longer range than the up-tilt. Either dash->uptilt or dash->downtilt are pretty basic juggle starters. Just watch out for shieldgrabs.
Forward-tilt
6%, downward angle 9%
First of all most of the info on this move is taken from Tristan Win's thread on the tilt. This can be tilted either up or down. The upward and nuetral versions each deal 6 damage and have enough knockback to get an aggressive opponent off of you. However, the true usefulness of this move is found when tilting it downward. It deals 9 damage instead of 6, and the knockback is increased. It can also cause tripping at low damage. For most characters this works until the high twenties or low thirties. Tripping tends to occur off of this move about 50% of the time if not even more often. If it causes tripping you can follow it with a Downsmash for a stun to lead into an even stronger attack.
Specials
Zamus's specials are among her best moves. All but one of them is used in her recovery, two of them can spike, one is her main kill move, and another is one of the most unique "combo fillers" in the game.
Neutral B
4%, 6% fully charged.
For those who don't know this is the stun gun and it is Zamus's sole projectile. It is slow moving, doesn't travel very far, and doesn't deal much damage, but that doesn't mean it isn't useful. When this attack hits it stuns the opponent leaving them open to another attack. The stun is very short though so you have to take the opportunity while you can. Most people will either grab from stun, or use the down smash to get a longer stun, and follow up from there. Both are good options. This attack should not be spammed however, like you would with most projectiles. It requires some skill to hit with this. Mindgames are important. You'd be surprised the use you can get from an empty short hop to B.
Forward B
3%, sweetspotted 16%
This is your main KO tool. This attack is fast, has long range, deals good damage and has a strong knockback. It can also be used in recovery but I will talk about that later. The sweetspot for this attack is at the tip so you should try to land it there, however, hitting with the weaker attack near the hilt will often knock the opponent into the sweetspot, so you can often get good damage anyway, but just to be safe, always go for the sweetspot.
Up B
3%, 3%, 3%, 6%
This move can also be used in your recovery, but I will discuss that later. This move deals somewhat decent damage but it's main purpose is for grabbing opponents out of the air. If the opponent is hit with the whip as it is rising they will take a decent amount of damage, however, if they are hit with the tip of the attack as it begins to descend they will be pulled down and you can continue to combo them. If you pull them down while off the stage this move can spike. This move is generally used after comboing airbourne oppontents with u-airs and then using this to pull them down and continue the combo once they are out of reach. Also note that if you are B-sticking you can use this move as a sort of "Hyphen-upB", though the timing is differnt from traditional Hyphen-Smashing. Learn to use this move, it will be a great help.
Down B
12%
This is Zamus's flip special. In the air this basically serves as a second mid-air jump, with it's own walljump built in. Again this move is very useful for her recovery. It also has a built in sex kick, that you can use by pressing A at any point during the attack. This is a very strong attack, with a long duration. It can also spike opponents that are over the edge.
Smashes
Zamus's smashes aren't kill moves like most other characters, but they each serve a purpose. Knowing how to use each of them is crucial to playing her properly.
Forward Smash
11% in front, 6% behind
This is a fairly fast, long ranged attack. It can't kill until about 130 damage, and even then her forward B is better. These two moves can't help but be compared to one another. As far as speed goes they are roughly equal, though Forward B has this move beat on range. Forward B is also a much stronger and more reliable KO move than this. However, it does have two properties that someimes make it better than Forward B.
First, it is not dependant on being sweetspotted. So if your opponent is at high enough damage that you are ready to go for the kill, but they are not properly spaced to land the sweetspot of the Forward B, then this can take its place. They need to be at a little higher damage for this too kill them, but it still does the job just fine.
Secondly, this attack hits both in front and behind you. The back portion of the attack is significantly weaker though. This is important because Zamus's down Smash does not hit on both sides as most other characters do. Therefore if you think the opponent might roll, or are in any kind of position where you need both sides covered, then this move can come in handy.
Down Smash
11%
This is Zamus's other stun move. Its damage and the duration of the stun are both significantly better than that of the stun guns. However, this move is much closer ranged, and is harder to set up for. One thing you can do is use it as an edgeguarding tool, as the stunning explosion it causes can reach under the tip of the stage, leaving the opponent open for a Bair into the wall of the stage. You can also Jab Cancel into this. Also notice that once you pass about 30% damage on the opponent your jabs will no longer knock them out of the stun, so they can be used to get some extra damage in.
Up Smash
First attack 4%, last attack 3%, all others 1%
This move can kill over the top at around 160-170%, but its main purpose is building up damage. This is possibly one of the most useful moves in the game to Hyphen-Smash, especially out of a down throw. Basically, if an opponent is above you, either this or the upB are both really good options, choose which one depending on what you want to do.
Aerials
Zamus's aerials are generally very good, however, her biggest problem is that her short hop is so high that they are difficult to land on opponents on the ground. Therefore, her aerials can only be used effectively on airbourne opponents(imagine that). Luckily though, she has several methods to get her opponents into the air, such as u-tilt, d-tilt, and d-throw, so this is usually not much of a problem.
Neutral Air
10%
This move comes out rather fast and covers both in front of and behind Zamus. It also has a slightly underestimated range. However, the knockback of this move is not very strong, and it isn't particularly combo friendly, so it doesn't seem to work into her game very well. It is however, a reliable move if you are in the air and just need to get your opponent away from you, as it is fast, and easy to hit with.
Forward Air
6%, 11%
This attack deals a total of 17 damage if both kicks hit, which is pretty respectable damage for an aerial. Also the knockback of the second kick is quite strong, though not as good as her Bair. It's Zamus's most damaging aerial, and one of her most damaging moves overall. Her second best combo filler next to Uair.
Back Air
13%
This is probably your second most reliable KO move, and your best edgeguarding tool. Overall it is probably better than Fair, as it is has superior knockback, and doesn't require landing multiple hits to get its full damage. RARing these can be useful in edgeguarding. Overall a very useful move.
Up Air
10%
If you played Mario in Melee like me then you are no stranger to filling combo's with windmill kicks. This is a great aerial. It is fast, has long range, and knocks the enemy further above you, allowing you to continue the combo. This is your most spammable aerial. It can also land over the top kills, at higher percentages. Especially useful against lightweights.
Down Air
5%, 5%
This attack actually has two components. The kick itself deals 5 damage, while the shockwave it creates causes an additional 5 damage. This is probably your weakest aerial and should only be used in a handful of situations. One of these is after an aerial upB has pulled your opponent down so that they are just beneath you. Using this move in that situation is a fairly safe way to tack on some additional damage. Outside of that though it doesn't seem very useful.
Throws
Zamus has a fairly good grab game. She has a tether grab meaning that she can grab from a distance, however, missing leaves her wide open to attack. It should not be used too recklessly. Try to only use this move when you are almost certain it will land. Shield grabbing, and grabbing a stunnded opponent for example.
Up Throw
10%
This is Zamus's most damaging throw, however, it is very hard to follow-up on. May be useful in some situations, but generally down throw is better.
Forward Throw
9%
Again this throw does more damage than most but is hard to combo with. The knockback of this move also seems to be effected by damage only slightly, so even at very high percentages the knockback is not very far.
Back Throw
6%
A weak throw that like the others is hard to combo with. It's knockback is more than the forward throws, but still not enough to do much good with.
Down Throw
6%
So remember when I said her grab game was good, but then all the throws I mentioned so far weren't so great. You may have been thinking, "well then why is it so good?" Well here is why. Pretty much anytime you get a grab, this is the throw you will use. It's damage isn't so great but it's quick and it sends the opponent into the air in front of you ready to be followed-up on. As I mentioned earlier, Hyphen-Smashing after the downthrow is a fairly reliable tactic.
General Strategy
So now you know the moves but they are only the foundation. What's much more important is the application of those moves. How do you play Zamus?
In a word, spacing. It pretty much comes down to this, if you can space you can play Zamus, if you can't then hurry up and learn.
Many of Zamus's attacks have a fairly long range, and some of them require sweetspotting at the tip. For these reasons it is important to stay at a good distance from your opponent so that you are able to attack them without them reaching you. This is similar to the style of Marth in melee.
If they do get close to you though you have several options to get them off. All of her tilts are useful in a close range fight, and her forward tilt is a great tool for getting people off of you. Don't forget to go for the downward angle off it if you can. If you are playing defensively make good use of the stun gun as well. It isn't as spammable as other projectiles but it can be a big help if used properly.
So then that covers the defensive aspect, but what about attacking? Well due to Zamus's long range and fast attacks she can quicly switch from defense to offense, and back again. This is one of her greatest strengths. While keeping your distance from the opponent attempt to land one of her longer ranged moves, such as her ForwardB. If you get a chance go for a dash attack to tilt, and then pursue them in the air. Also if your opponent is being overly aggressive, go for the shieldgrab, and begin your offensive there. Learning to quickly transition from defense to offense is one of the most important skills in your arsenal.
Once you have manage to build up a respectable amount of damage it is time to go for the kill. As I have stated several times before her ForwardB is her best kill move, followed by Bair. If you are fighting a floaty character go for over the top kills with Uair or Usmash. Also remember that you have several useful edgeguarding tools, and a strong recovery to come back with, so don't be afraid to pursue them.
VI. Recovery
So finally we come to recovery. Zamus has a very good recovery with a good range that allows her to recover from a very respectable distance, and her recovery options are plentiful and can therefore be easily mixed up to ward off edgeguarding. However, there is one great flaw in her recovery. That is that her recovery involves a tether and tethers can be easily edgehogged.
So then lets get into the specifics. For starters Zamus's midair jump is above average in height and she can wall jump from it. Her downB is essentially a second midair jump with its own walljump, and a built in sex kick to ward off edgeguarders. Her upB and forwardB are both tethers that grab onto the lip of the stage. Each of these has a deceptively long range and can lock-on to the stage, meaning that you don't have to be perfectly lined up to land it. The forwardB can grab the lip from above it which is often unexpected, and therefore rarely prevented.
The important thing in her recovery is to always keep it mixed up. Sometimes jump before downB, sometimes do downB first then midair jump. If you are approaching the stage in a way that your forwardB could grab it, you may choose to instead continue to fall and then recover with upB instead. Just keep it unpredictable. Also note that if you can downB it is the prefered move to use last in your recovery. It can't be hogged as easily as the tethers, and its attack can come in handy.
Don't forget your wall jump either. On FD you can fall under the lip of the stage, and then downB so that you hit the underside of it, and use its wall jump to reach the lip. This is a good option against opponents who continue to hog against the tethers.
So then once you are on the ledge, what next? Zamus has just as many options from the ledge as she does in her recovery. First you have the basic roll or edge attack. You can also allow yourself to fall and then use both your midair jump and downB to get back on the stage while protecting yourself with the kick of the downB. You can also use downB directly from the lip, landing just near the ledge, or you can let go of the ledge first and then use downB which results in you getting a little further onto the stage than with the other method. It's these kind of slight differences that make her recovery so diverse. You can also try ledgehopped Fairs, though in my experience they aren't as useful.
One final note is that Samus is a lighter than average character. She is by no means a featherweight, but attacks that kill Mario over the top at 100% will kill her at about 85%-90%. It isn't a big difference but it does matter. The only thing you can do in these situations, is have good DI, and be knowledgable of your opponents attacks. For example, if you are playing against a King DeDeDe, be aware of his utilt.
[U]VII. Conclusion[/U]
Thank you for taking the time to read my guide and I hope you found it helpful. Feel free to post any comments or advice here. If there is anything you feel should be added or removed please feel free to PM me.
I. Introduction
II. Pros and Cons
III. Advanced Techniques
IV. Move Analysis
V. General Strategy
VI. Recovery
VII. Conclusion
I. Introduction
Welcome to my Zero Suit Samus guide. Brawl is still in its early stages and the metagame hasn't completely developed, but hopefully this guide will give a general outline of how to play Zamus, as well as an analysis of her strengths and weaknesses.
II. Pros and Cons
Pros
- Generally fast
- Long range
- Fairly combo heavy
- Good recovery
- High Short hop
- Lower than average weight
III. Advanced Techniques
A comprehensive list of all the advanced techniques can be found here. http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=142139
I will only be discussing the ones that directly apply to Zamus's game.
Jab Fakes
Discovered by Dmbrandon.
This involves doing the first one or two hits of your jab combo, then pressing shield during the last few frames of your last attack, which allows you to lead into another attack. This is not as useful to Zamus as it is to some other characters, but it does have uses.
First of all you can jab fake into your Downsmash which leads to all kinds of great possibilities. However, even with jab fakes this move is far from guaranteed to land, so don't depend on it.
You can also jab fake into her tilts, which are pretty nice for the most part. However, your probably just better off using the tilts to begin with, seeing as how 4 extra damage isn't really worth the hassle, and it doesn't have much use beyond that.
Hyphen Smashing
Discovered by Dmbrandon.
This technique involves pressing up on the c-stick while dashing in order to use your upSmash out of dash. Zamus is one of the best characters to do this with as her initial dashing animation is rather quick and her upSmash fairly good. This is best demonstrated by doing a down throw which will launch your opponent upward and in front of you. You can then dash to upSmash as a quick follow-up, allowing you to quickly get below them and add some quick damage onto that throw.
Note that if you are b-sticking you can actually "Hyphen upB" instead, though it is slightly more complicated. You cannot simply tap the dash button and then use the c-stick up, because this will cause you to jump. Instead you have to be holding the control stick to dash, and then use the c-stick. If you are not c-sticking then you can still dash to upB, but it will require a slight pause and is therefore slower. All together though, the up Smash is more reliable, and easier to land.
RAR (Reverse Aerial Rush)
Discovered by OoNoiroO
This involves dashing and then smashing the control stick in the opposite direction and jumping at the same time, which results in you jumping with your back turned while still maintaining your forward momentum. This is extemely useful for many characters as alot of them have far better Bairs than Faris. However, I don't see it as quite so useful with Zamus because her Fair and Bair are both quite good.
However, there are situations where this is very useful. For example, while Fair is better at racking up damage, Bair is faster and has better knockback, so RARing off stage to Bair a recovering opponent is a very useful edgeguarding technique.
Also, I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere, but you can actually do the RAR in reverse. What I mean is instead of running toward your opponent with a Bair, you can run away from them with a Fair. The procedure for doing this is identical to that of the RAR, just do it in reverse. Not quite as useful as the usual method, but just something to be aware of.
Gliding Toss
Discovered by I.T.P.
This is a very useful technique for Zamus. It allows you to throw an object while advancing on the opponent at the same time. Extremely useful with her armor parts.
B-sticking
A video guide on B-sticking can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Wix_KsK5g
A thread by k4polo about applications to Zamus can be found here http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=154740
This technique basically gives more versitility to your Specials. It is easier to land a ForwardB sweetspot while B-sticking which is nice because it is your main KO move. It also makes Hyphen-upB possible, which I will discuss later. However, it takes away your ability to smash with the c-stick, and use the c-stick for aerials. Please note that anything that can be done with one configuration can be done with the other, changing your setup just makes some things easier and some things harder. So it's really just a matter of personal preference.
IV. Move Analysis
Ground Attacks
In general Zamus's ground attacks are very good. They offer a strong balance of both speed, range, and power. They are also easily combo'ed into and out of.
Jab Combo
2%, 2%, 3%
This is your basic jab combo. It begins with two fast hits that do little damage, and ends in a third hit that knocks the opponent slightly away from you. Generally not very useful, except in a few situations which I will touch on later.
Dash Attack
7%
As dash attacks go this one is pretty good. It's quick, and leaves the opponent in a prime position for you to follow up on. This move can be followed up with any of her tilts. A very basic combo starter, but be careful because you can be shield grabbed out of this.
Up-tilt
5%, 6%
11 damage isn't bad for a tilt, especially one this good, and it knocks the opponent straight up above you leaving them open for a follow-up in the air. Not to mention that like all her tilts it's quite fast.
Down-tilt
6%
This is another great combo starter. Its knockback is up and forward as opposed to straight up on the up-tilt. Also it has much longer range than the up-tilt. Either dash->uptilt or dash->downtilt are pretty basic juggle starters. Just watch out for shieldgrabs.
Forward-tilt
6%, downward angle 9%
First of all most of the info on this move is taken from Tristan Win's thread on the tilt. This can be tilted either up or down. The upward and nuetral versions each deal 6 damage and have enough knockback to get an aggressive opponent off of you. However, the true usefulness of this move is found when tilting it downward. It deals 9 damage instead of 6, and the knockback is increased. It can also cause tripping at low damage. For most characters this works until the high twenties or low thirties. Tripping tends to occur off of this move about 50% of the time if not even more often. If it causes tripping you can follow it with a Downsmash for a stun to lead into an even stronger attack.
Specials
Zamus's specials are among her best moves. All but one of them is used in her recovery, two of them can spike, one is her main kill move, and another is one of the most unique "combo fillers" in the game.
Neutral B
4%, 6% fully charged.
For those who don't know this is the stun gun and it is Zamus's sole projectile. It is slow moving, doesn't travel very far, and doesn't deal much damage, but that doesn't mean it isn't useful. When this attack hits it stuns the opponent leaving them open to another attack. The stun is very short though so you have to take the opportunity while you can. Most people will either grab from stun, or use the down smash to get a longer stun, and follow up from there. Both are good options. This attack should not be spammed however, like you would with most projectiles. It requires some skill to hit with this. Mindgames are important. You'd be surprised the use you can get from an empty short hop to B.
Forward B
3%, sweetspotted 16%
This is your main KO tool. This attack is fast, has long range, deals good damage and has a strong knockback. It can also be used in recovery but I will talk about that later. The sweetspot for this attack is at the tip so you should try to land it there, however, hitting with the weaker attack near the hilt will often knock the opponent into the sweetspot, so you can often get good damage anyway, but just to be safe, always go for the sweetspot.
Up B
3%, 3%, 3%, 6%
This move can also be used in your recovery, but I will discuss that later. This move deals somewhat decent damage but it's main purpose is for grabbing opponents out of the air. If the opponent is hit with the whip as it is rising they will take a decent amount of damage, however, if they are hit with the tip of the attack as it begins to descend they will be pulled down and you can continue to combo them. If you pull them down while off the stage this move can spike. This move is generally used after comboing airbourne oppontents with u-airs and then using this to pull them down and continue the combo once they are out of reach. Also note that if you are B-sticking you can use this move as a sort of "Hyphen-upB", though the timing is differnt from traditional Hyphen-Smashing. Learn to use this move, it will be a great help.
Down B
12%
This is Zamus's flip special. In the air this basically serves as a second mid-air jump, with it's own walljump built in. Again this move is very useful for her recovery. It also has a built in sex kick, that you can use by pressing A at any point during the attack. This is a very strong attack, with a long duration. It can also spike opponents that are over the edge.
Smashes
Zamus's smashes aren't kill moves like most other characters, but they each serve a purpose. Knowing how to use each of them is crucial to playing her properly.
Forward Smash
11% in front, 6% behind
This is a fairly fast, long ranged attack. It can't kill until about 130 damage, and even then her forward B is better. These two moves can't help but be compared to one another. As far as speed goes they are roughly equal, though Forward B has this move beat on range. Forward B is also a much stronger and more reliable KO move than this. However, it does have two properties that someimes make it better than Forward B.
First, it is not dependant on being sweetspotted. So if your opponent is at high enough damage that you are ready to go for the kill, but they are not properly spaced to land the sweetspot of the Forward B, then this can take its place. They need to be at a little higher damage for this too kill them, but it still does the job just fine.
Secondly, this attack hits both in front and behind you. The back portion of the attack is significantly weaker though. This is important because Zamus's down Smash does not hit on both sides as most other characters do. Therefore if you think the opponent might roll, or are in any kind of position where you need both sides covered, then this move can come in handy.
Down Smash
11%
This is Zamus's other stun move. Its damage and the duration of the stun are both significantly better than that of the stun guns. However, this move is much closer ranged, and is harder to set up for. One thing you can do is use it as an edgeguarding tool, as the stunning explosion it causes can reach under the tip of the stage, leaving the opponent open for a Bair into the wall of the stage. You can also Jab Cancel into this. Also notice that once you pass about 30% damage on the opponent your jabs will no longer knock them out of the stun, so they can be used to get some extra damage in.
Up Smash
First attack 4%, last attack 3%, all others 1%
This move can kill over the top at around 160-170%, but its main purpose is building up damage. This is possibly one of the most useful moves in the game to Hyphen-Smash, especially out of a down throw. Basically, if an opponent is above you, either this or the upB are both really good options, choose which one depending on what you want to do.
Aerials
Zamus's aerials are generally very good, however, her biggest problem is that her short hop is so high that they are difficult to land on opponents on the ground. Therefore, her aerials can only be used effectively on airbourne opponents(imagine that). Luckily though, she has several methods to get her opponents into the air, such as u-tilt, d-tilt, and d-throw, so this is usually not much of a problem.
Neutral Air
10%
This move comes out rather fast and covers both in front of and behind Zamus. It also has a slightly underestimated range. However, the knockback of this move is not very strong, and it isn't particularly combo friendly, so it doesn't seem to work into her game very well. It is however, a reliable move if you are in the air and just need to get your opponent away from you, as it is fast, and easy to hit with.
Forward Air
6%, 11%
This attack deals a total of 17 damage if both kicks hit, which is pretty respectable damage for an aerial. Also the knockback of the second kick is quite strong, though not as good as her Bair. It's Zamus's most damaging aerial, and one of her most damaging moves overall. Her second best combo filler next to Uair.
Back Air
13%
This is probably your second most reliable KO move, and your best edgeguarding tool. Overall it is probably better than Fair, as it is has superior knockback, and doesn't require landing multiple hits to get its full damage. RARing these can be useful in edgeguarding. Overall a very useful move.
Up Air
10%
If you played Mario in Melee like me then you are no stranger to filling combo's with windmill kicks. This is a great aerial. It is fast, has long range, and knocks the enemy further above you, allowing you to continue the combo. This is your most spammable aerial. It can also land over the top kills, at higher percentages. Especially useful against lightweights.
Down Air
5%, 5%
This attack actually has two components. The kick itself deals 5 damage, while the shockwave it creates causes an additional 5 damage. This is probably your weakest aerial and should only be used in a handful of situations. One of these is after an aerial upB has pulled your opponent down so that they are just beneath you. Using this move in that situation is a fairly safe way to tack on some additional damage. Outside of that though it doesn't seem very useful.
Throws
Zamus has a fairly good grab game. She has a tether grab meaning that she can grab from a distance, however, missing leaves her wide open to attack. It should not be used too recklessly. Try to only use this move when you are almost certain it will land. Shield grabbing, and grabbing a stunnded opponent for example.
Up Throw
10%
This is Zamus's most damaging throw, however, it is very hard to follow-up on. May be useful in some situations, but generally down throw is better.
Forward Throw
9%
Again this throw does more damage than most but is hard to combo with. The knockback of this move also seems to be effected by damage only slightly, so even at very high percentages the knockback is not very far.
Back Throw
6%
A weak throw that like the others is hard to combo with. It's knockback is more than the forward throws, but still not enough to do much good with.
Down Throw
6%
So remember when I said her grab game was good, but then all the throws I mentioned so far weren't so great. You may have been thinking, "well then why is it so good?" Well here is why. Pretty much anytime you get a grab, this is the throw you will use. It's damage isn't so great but it's quick and it sends the opponent into the air in front of you ready to be followed-up on. As I mentioned earlier, Hyphen-Smashing after the downthrow is a fairly reliable tactic.
General Strategy
So now you know the moves but they are only the foundation. What's much more important is the application of those moves. How do you play Zamus?
In a word, spacing. It pretty much comes down to this, if you can space you can play Zamus, if you can't then hurry up and learn.
Many of Zamus's attacks have a fairly long range, and some of them require sweetspotting at the tip. For these reasons it is important to stay at a good distance from your opponent so that you are able to attack them without them reaching you. This is similar to the style of Marth in melee.
If they do get close to you though you have several options to get them off. All of her tilts are useful in a close range fight, and her forward tilt is a great tool for getting people off of you. Don't forget to go for the downward angle off it if you can. If you are playing defensively make good use of the stun gun as well. It isn't as spammable as other projectiles but it can be a big help if used properly.
So then that covers the defensive aspect, but what about attacking? Well due to Zamus's long range and fast attacks she can quicly switch from defense to offense, and back again. This is one of her greatest strengths. While keeping your distance from the opponent attempt to land one of her longer ranged moves, such as her ForwardB. If you get a chance go for a dash attack to tilt, and then pursue them in the air. Also if your opponent is being overly aggressive, go for the shieldgrab, and begin your offensive there. Learning to quickly transition from defense to offense is one of the most important skills in your arsenal.
Once you have manage to build up a respectable amount of damage it is time to go for the kill. As I have stated several times before her ForwardB is her best kill move, followed by Bair. If you are fighting a floaty character go for over the top kills with Uair or Usmash. Also remember that you have several useful edgeguarding tools, and a strong recovery to come back with, so don't be afraid to pursue them.
VI. Recovery
So finally we come to recovery. Zamus has a very good recovery with a good range that allows her to recover from a very respectable distance, and her recovery options are plentiful and can therefore be easily mixed up to ward off edgeguarding. However, there is one great flaw in her recovery. That is that her recovery involves a tether and tethers can be easily edgehogged.
So then lets get into the specifics. For starters Zamus's midair jump is above average in height and she can wall jump from it. Her downB is essentially a second midair jump with its own walljump, and a built in sex kick to ward off edgeguarders. Her upB and forwardB are both tethers that grab onto the lip of the stage. Each of these has a deceptively long range and can lock-on to the stage, meaning that you don't have to be perfectly lined up to land it. The forwardB can grab the lip from above it which is often unexpected, and therefore rarely prevented.
The important thing in her recovery is to always keep it mixed up. Sometimes jump before downB, sometimes do downB first then midair jump. If you are approaching the stage in a way that your forwardB could grab it, you may choose to instead continue to fall and then recover with upB instead. Just keep it unpredictable. Also note that if you can downB it is the prefered move to use last in your recovery. It can't be hogged as easily as the tethers, and its attack can come in handy.
Don't forget your wall jump either. On FD you can fall under the lip of the stage, and then downB so that you hit the underside of it, and use its wall jump to reach the lip. This is a good option against opponents who continue to hog against the tethers.
So then once you are on the ledge, what next? Zamus has just as many options from the ledge as she does in her recovery. First you have the basic roll or edge attack. You can also allow yourself to fall and then use both your midair jump and downB to get back on the stage while protecting yourself with the kick of the downB. You can also use downB directly from the lip, landing just near the ledge, or you can let go of the ledge first and then use downB which results in you getting a little further onto the stage than with the other method. It's these kind of slight differences that make her recovery so diverse. You can also try ledgehopped Fairs, though in my experience they aren't as useful.
One final note is that Samus is a lighter than average character. She is by no means a featherweight, but attacks that kill Mario over the top at 100% will kill her at about 85%-90%. It isn't a big difference but it does matter. The only thing you can do in these situations, is have good DI, and be knowledgable of your opponents attacks. For example, if you are playing against a King DeDeDe, be aware of his utilt.
[U]VII. Conclusion[/U]
Thank you for taking the time to read my guide and I hope you found it helpful. Feel free to post any comments or advice here. If there is anything you feel should be added or removed please feel free to PM me.
