Basic Moves Page

This page lists the basic moves for each character. Follow any of the links below.  

General Information on the Basic Moves pages
General Information on Controls
General Information on the Launch Meter

General Information on the Basic Moves pages

• Controls:  Forward means press the analog stick in the direction you are facing; back means press it in the opposite direction.  "A direction + a button" (e.g. Forward + A) means to move the analog stick and press the button at the same time.  "A direction , a button" means to move the analog stick and then press the button.
• Damage:  This column is estimated to give you an idea what the stronger and weaker moves are.  The first time you use a move and hit your opponent, the damage will be 3-5% higher.  Also, damage for the moves is less when you hit your opponent while he is laying on the ground.

General Information on Controls

• Jumping:  You can jump by pressing up on the analog stick or by hitting any of the C buttons.  We recommend using the C buttons as they are more reliable and easier to use.  You can jump, double jump, and then, with most characters, use your Up + B move to jump a little higher.  If you have been launched into the air by an opponent, you will only be able to do your double jump and then your Up + B move.  To fall faster when you are in the air, quickly press hard down.
• Dashing:  You can dash by tapping left twice or right twice.  You can also dash by quickly pressing hard right or hard left on the analog stick.
• Jumping down through a platform:  You can do this on many boards on certain platforms--for example, the bridge in Peach's Castle.  You can jump down by tapping down twice or by quickly pressing hard down.
• Repeatedly press A to do repeated punches or repeated kicks.
• When you are in the air, the R button is the same as the A button.
• When hanging from a ledge, you must hit up on the analog stick within a certain amount of time or you will fall off.  You can also hit A, R, or B while hanging to get up and do your A move, or hit Z to do your roll.

General Information on the Launch Meter

    This column is one of the most important in the game. It tells you what the best launcher (finishing) moves are for each character.  They are ranked in order and not on a scale (in other words, it is not as if 1 means best and 10 means worst) and all of the basics, both ground and air, are placed into one list. Finally, any move that does not and will not launch will be denoted by an uppercase x, "X", in its launch meter column. Note that some moves may not seem as though they would launch but they do only at very high damage. Some of these moves are rather quick and are thus a plus for using in Sudden Death (Fox's tail sweep and high kick are good examples). However, since they will almost never launch in a regular game, they will be denoted with "X"s as well.

    There are a large amount of criteria that are involved in determining which move is a character's best launcher. Probably the most important piece of information is what damage level the launcher launches at. The lower the damage level, the better the launcher. Another very important factor is the total range that a move has. Remember that range isn't necessarily only measured in horizontal and vertical units. For example, a jumping launcher will be more effective than most other launchers because its range is exponentially expanded by the character's jumping ability. Then there is recovery time. If you use a launcher and miss, how much time is it going to take for you to pull off another move, whether it be an attack, jump, or block? How much time is required to use your move in the first place? Samus' charge shot may have the greatest range of any launcher but it takes almost five whole seconds to prepare. It's certainly not going to be number one on Samus' scale with that kind of balance.

    There are certainly more intangibles involved in what makes a great launcher but what it usually comes down to is simply what a move like the charge shot doesn't have, balance.  Your primary launchers should be the well-balanced moves because they'll work the best in the most situations.  Super Smash Brothers is a game of infinite situations; thus, the more situations your launcher covers, the better it will be.