Guide to Ace Arwing Pilot Fox McCloud, Version 4.00
By: CunningKitsune
Version 1.00 Created: Sunday, April 18, 2004
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 17, 2006
E-mail: MtGKid700@comcast.net
AIM: CraftyKitsune
Legal Stuff
Copyright 2004-2006 Anthony Daniel Anastasia. This may not be reproduced under
any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any
web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission.
Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and
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and copyright holders.
Web sites currently authorized to possess this guide:
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Please inform me if you see any unauthorized sites with this guide.
Contacting the Author
If you wish to get in touch with me concerning this guide or any other
meaningful topic related to SSBM, feel free to do so. If you send me an
e-mail, include a relevant phrase in the Subject line (something along the
lines of “About Your Guide”). Do not leave it blank and expect me to answer
your e-mail, as I will not under any circumstances. If you do e-mail me,
complete with subject line, I will do my utmost best to answer you quickly and
to the best of my abilities. For future reference, you will probably have the
most success speaking with me on Fox-related matters, since I play exclusively
as him. I am a member of all the sites authorized to possess this guide, and my
name is CunningKitsune on all of them, if you would rather get in touch with me
via PM's or whatnot there. Constructive criticism and any additions or
other observations concerning this guide are always appreciated. Thank you in
advance for reading this, and I sincerely hope that it fulfills its purpose.
About the Guide
The principle aim of this guide is to enhance the reader’s abilities with Fox
McCloud on a technical as well as psychological level. Nearly all of the
content in this guide is centered on Fox as a one-on-one combatant; this is
the format in which Fox best performs, in addition to being the definitive
format for high-level tournament play. This guide also uses quite a bit of the
modern SSBM lingo (shuffling, short-hopping, waveshine, etc.). Definitions of
a good deal of the terms used in this guide are included, but others may be
found on the internet. There is a very concise modern terms list for SSBM that
covers virtually every aspect of modern SSBM lingo, in case you are still
stumped (see item 2 in the "References" section).
The first section of this guide, The Basics, is just that. It introduces Fox
McCloud as a character and gives information on all of his moves. An
exhaustive statistics list courtesy of Mew2King and co. is included. In
addition, listed for each move is its respective frame data courtesy of
SuperDoodleMan. I thank both of these players for the time and research that
they have put into this game and the enormous amount of data that they have
made available to the Smash community.
The second section, Advanced Techniques, introduces you to the higher-level
techniques that Fox and the SSBM cast can perform, as well as some unique to
the vulpine himself. The Improving Your Game sub-section delves into the inner
workings of playing Fox on a psychological level, as well as giving the reader
insights into Fox’s play styles and how to optimize the performance of their
Fox in battle. The sub-section on the shine gives statistics of, techniques
with, and uses for the kitsune’s reflector in battle, including a section on
the infinites.
The third section, Character Match-ups, deals with Fox's match-ups against each
and every character in the game, himself included. The information presented
includes comprehensive analyses, assorted tips and tricks, and various sugges-
tions for each match-up. This section is ordered by the current established
Smashboards MBR Tier List in order to organize the information as relevant to
the current tournament metagame and make the information more accessible to
readers interested in higher-level play.
The fourth section, The Casual Fox, is dedicated to Fox on non-tournament-level
terms. It is a good stop for readers interested in Fox as an SSBM character,
but not wanting to play him seriously at tournament-level.
The fifth section of the guide references various useful links for most any
player. The threads include such topics as mindgames, edge-teching, and DI.
The sixth and final section of the guide simply gives credit wherever it is due
and cites people directly related to and essential for the writing of this
guide.
Notes on SuperDoodleMan's Frame Data
IASA = Interruptible As Soon As, meaning some of the animation can be cut off
by doing an attack or something.
Auto-cancel = After an air attack is done doing damage, there is often an
animation of the character returning to their falling state, during which you
can't do anything. Some attacks are such that that animation will not give any
lag upon landing.
Land fall special lag = After many "B" recovery moves, your character will
flash black and not be able to do anything. When they land from this, even
though the falling animation may be the same, the time it takes to recover on
the ground is dependant on which move you did.
Guide Outline
I. The Basics
A. Introduction to Fox McCloud
1. Pros and Cons
B. Fox’s Moves
1. Ground
a. Jab
b. Straight
c. Rapid Kick
d. Fox Kick
e. Back Kick
f. Fox Tail
g. Roundhouse Kick
h. Flip Kick
i. Fox Split
j. Taunt
2. Running
a. Jumping Side Kick
3. Air
a. Flying Kick
b. Tornado Kick
c. Reverse Spin Kick
d. McCloud Flip
e. Drill Kick
4. Throws and Grab Statistics
a. Knee
b. Elbow Bash
c. Skeet Blaster
d. Star Blaster
e. Floor Blaster
5. Special Moves
a. Blaster
b. Fox Illusion
c. Fire Fox
d. Reflector
6. The Physics of Fox
An exhaustive list of statistics, courtesy of Mew2King and other
contributors.
II. Advanced Techniques
A. Introduction
1. L-canceling
2. Wavedashing
3. Shield-grabbing
4. Short-hopping
5. Dash-canceling
6. Crouch-canceling
7. Dash-dancing
8. Jump-canceled Grabs, or Standing Dash-grabs
9. Fox Trotting
10. Triangle-jumping
11. Short-hop Laser
12. Waveshine
13. Boost Grab
B. Improving Your Game
1. Introduction
a. Knowledge is Power
b. Going in With a Plan
c. Crush Your Enemy’s Concentration
d. Style: Aggressive
e. Style: Control
f. Style: Aggro-control
2. Mind Games
a. Know Yourself
b. Know Your Opponent
C. The Shine
1. Introduction
2. Properties of the Shine
3. Using the Shine
a. Reflecting Projectiles
b. Winning Close-Range Priority
c. Gaining Close-Range Control
d. Shine Spiking
e. Setting Up For a Combo
f. Countering Shield Grabbing
g. Edge-guarding
h. Stopping Horizontal and Upward Movement
4. Infinites
a. Infinite Jump-canceled Shine
b. Infinite Down-wavedash Shine
c. Drill Shine
d. Inverse Drill Shine, Method 1
e. Inverse Drill Shine, Method 2
f. Wall Drill Infinite Shine
g. Infinite Forward-Reverse Waveshine
III. Character Match-ups
A. Top Tier
1. Sheik
2. Fox
3. Marth
B. Upper Tier
1. Peach
2. Falco
3. Captain Falcon
4. Samus
C. High Tier
1. Jigglypuff
2. Dr. Mario
3. Ganondorf
4. Mario
5. Ice Climbers
D. Mid Tier
1. Luigi
2. Link
3. Roy
4. Donkey Kong
5. Pikachu
6. Zelda
E. Low Tier
1. Ness
2. Young Link
3. Yoshi
4. Kirby
5. Mr. Game & Watch
6. Bowser
F. Bottom Tier
1. Mewtwo
2. Pichu
IV. The Casual Fox
1. Fox’s Hidden Taunt
V. References
VI. Final Words
I. The Basics
A. Introduction
Super Smash Bros. Melee is Fox's second visit to the Smash Bros. scene, and
frankly, he has never been better. Although he has lost the stun capability of
his blaster from the N64 version, he retains most if not all of his moves from
the previous game, and then some. As a fighter, Fox is second to none in the
hands of a very experienced, fast-paced player. His lightning quick moves,
fast, effective finishers, and unparalleled ability to spam his projectile
weapon combine to form a fighter who is more than capable of dealing with
anything thrown his way. The new player, however, must be careful with Fox;
more often than not, slow-moving or unwary players are caught off guard by the
jerky, erratic nature of his moves. Also, there is always the natural tendency
to continuously Illusion themselves right off the stage or fall off the edge
in a Tornado Kick. Once he is well under your fingers, however, you will find
that Fox can control any fight against any character using his incredible
speed and versatility and more than a little blaster fire.
The Smash community holds Fox as the most skill-intensive character in the
game. You'll need fast fingers and a fast wit to use him well. Players in the
U.S. love his speed, power, and blaster. Players in Japan love his fast-paced,
flashy, almost show-offy moves and, more than anything, his god-like
Reflector.
Fox is not for you if:
1. You are a slow player by nature.
2. You have slow fingers.
3. You do not think quickly.
4. You do not like winning. It will happen a lot with Fox.
5. You do not want to use high-tier characters. Fox is currently second in the
tiers behind Sheik.
6. You want to be decent quickly. That's why Sheik is here.
7. You think power beats speed every time. Yeah, better think about that
again.
8. You like raw power instead of blistering speed. You should be Ganondorf,
Bowser, or the like.
9. You hate characters with very sensitive controls.
Barring that stuff, you should enjoy playing as the lightning quick Fox. With
time, you will become nearly unstoppable with the vulpine. If you don't have
all that much time, Fox has a simple solution for you: blaster spamming. Works
every time.
1. Pros and Cons
Pros:
-Lightning speed on nearly every move
-Little overall lag
-Is a fast-faller
-The shine
-Fast L-cancels
-Very short short-hops
-Great at controlling the fight
-Has a solid mind game
-A perfect combo character
-Very adaptive playing style
-Fast, effective finishers
-Fast foot speed
-Infinites
Cons:
-Relatively light-weight
-Fast-paced controls
-Is a fast-faller
-Many opportunities to self-destruct
-Overall average priority
-Recoveries can be caped or edgeguarded well
-Low to medium range
-Toughest character to play well
B. Fox's Moves
1. Ground
Jab
Button: A
Damage: 2-3%
Speed: Very high
Priority: Medium-high
Range: Relatively short
Start Time: Nonexistent
Lag Time: Virtually nonexistent
Knockback: Extremely low
Total frames: 17
Hit frames: 2-3
IASA: 16
Window of the second punch: 3-31
Second punch starts: 6 (or later)
This move has a very fast come-out time, but don't expect it to send the
opponent flying across the arena or inflict great damage. Rather, the natural
purpose of this move is, obviously, to lead into a Straight and series of Rapid
Kicks. There are other (better) uses for this move, too. Because of its high
speed and natural tendency to prep opponents for equally speedy attacks, the
Jab is a necessity in close-range combat, where it can tie up foes' timing and
virtually negate all slow, high-lag power moves. At medium to high percentages,
the Jab and its compatriot Straight can pop opponents up into the air slightly,
a position where you can easily up-smash them for the kill. At lower
percentages, toss in a few Back Kicks to tack on damage and lift your enemy
high enough into the effective diameter of the up-smash. Take advantage of the
Jab and Straight's high speed and tendency to lift foes off the ground to grab
and up-throw them and open the door to combos. You can also use the Jab out of
a shuffled neutral- or down-aerial; this will get your opponent into combo
position and will hit them before they can retaliate. Yet another use
for the Jab and Straight is out of a waveshine (an advanced technique explained
later) again as a form of prepping your foe for a potentially lethal up-smash
if you feel that you will not be able to fit in the up-smash before your foe
has a chance to shield. Regardless, be wary of your follow-up to a prep Jab; at
times, enemy DI (particularly on the floatier characters and at higher percen-
tages) can shift them out and away from your chosen follow-up, giving them the
time that they need to return with a sex kick or whatever else that they may
have in store for you. Of all things, you certainly do not want to give your
foe a significant opening both to escape your potential combo and to return
fire.
If anything, the main use of the Jab and Straight is to break through your
foe's defenses in close combat with pure speed, and then take advantage of that
lapse to initiate Fox's excellent comboing abilities. For example, many times
it will be the quick Jab that will stun your opponent long enough for you to
slip in with a quick jump-canceled grab to an up-throw and a series of juggling
up-aerials or an up-smash. Jabs are also handy to tie up an opponent's hands
should he or she attempt to shut you out with a quick flurry of high-speed or
high-priority attacks; a well-placed Jab there could cause them to input a
bunch of "dead" buttons during the stun time and interrupt their flow long
enough for you to turn the tide of the battle in your favor with a simple combo
off of a jump-canceled grab, for instance. Jabs are also handy to knock your
opponents out of their aerial "stunned" animation and make it somewhat easier
for you to land a jump-canceled grab, which you can follow up as you see fit.
Against fellow fast-fallers, a well-placed Jab to interrupt a hasty recovery
jump could cause them to fall low enough to force an up+B recovery out of them
and give you an opportunity for a quick dash-in shine (more than lethal in
dittos as well as against Falco); Captain Falcon and most other characters as
well can fall prey to the subsequent edge-hog and edge-guarding via ledge-
hopped back-aerials.
Still another use for the Jab is as a quite effective stand-in for the shine in
match-ups against characters that cannot be caught in shine comboes per se.
For example, should you land a drill kick on characters such as Game and Watch,
Kirby, Jigglypuff, Falco, other Foxes, and Roy, try to fight your urge to shine
instantly and instead throw in a Jab, which can put these fall-over characters
in position for a follow-up jump-canceled grab or lethal up-smash (character-
dependent, of course). Keep in mind that you should not exclude shines from
aerials from these match-ups entirely; not only do they keep you perfectly safe
from shield-grabs, but you can also play "wake-up games" with your opponent, so
to speak. That is, try to predict and follow how your opponent gets back on his
or her feet from the shine and punish accordingly with a dashed jump-canceled
up-smash or jump-canceled grab. Switching shines and Jabs in said match-ups
also prevents your opponent from catching on too quickly to your strategy and
resorting to crouch-canceling, which can lead to some nasty turn-around situa-
tions (see below). If you notice your opponent begin to crouch-cancel, take ad-
vantage and start shining from aerials; due to their crouch-canceling, you can
then follow the shine with a grab, should they not react fast enough, and
follow from that, and the shine also prevents easy crouch-cancel counters on
their part.
If you plan to Jab into the Straight and a series of Rapid Kicks, try to
initiate the series at a very close proximity to your target; this way, it will
take longer for them to scroll or directional influence out of the Rapid Kicks.
However, be wary that Jabs and Straights do not go well with crouch-canceling;
when coupled with these moves' virtually nonexistent knockback, crouch-
canceling puts you in a very bad situation that will allow your opponent his
choice of retaliation. Be especially wary of characters that frequent their
crouch-cancels, such as Peach (down-smash); Yoshi (down-smash); Samus(down-
smash and down-tilt); Mario and Dr. Mario (down-smash); Sheik (down-smash and
down-tilt, which will set you up for a potentially lethal forward-aerial); and
Mr. Game and Watch (down-tilt that will set you up for a follow-up of the
player's choice, usually a forward- or neutral-aerial). Crouch-cancels from
virtually all other characters also can lead to trouble for your Fox, so be
wary of your opponent's style and take note of whether or not he makes frequent
use of his crouch-cancel.
Straight
Button: A, A
Damage: 2-3%, 3%
Speed: High
Priority: Medium-high
Range: Relatively short
Start Time: Nonexistent; must closely follow use of Jab
Lag Time: Virtually nonexistent
Knockback: Extremely low
Total frames: 20
Hit frames: 3-4
IASA: 19
Window of the kick-jabs: 1-20
Kick-jabs start: 6
The follow-up to the jab, which can lead into a series of Rapid Kicks. A
one-two punch with a Jab and Straight can lead nicely to a powerful up-smash
at 90-100%. The Straight is very much similar to the Jab, but with one excep-
tion: when Fox Straights, he takes a slight step forward. If you time the
rhythm of your Jabs and Straights, you can advance on your enemy very slightly
with a Jab-Straight, Jab-Straight series (be careful not to press any other
buttons during the waiting time for the Rapid Kicks; otherwise, you'll go into
those instead of what you had intended to do, which is, for the most part, not
really a bad thing). The step forward that Fox takes can also quickly put you
in range of your opponent should your initial Jab very slightly miss him or
her. You can also follow the Jab-Straight with a quick waveshine into a grab or
most anything else Fox can do.
Rapid Kick
Button: A, A, A...
Damage: 2-3%, 3%, 1%...
Speed: High
Priority: Low
Range: Relatively short
Start Time: Very slight (a few frames) during transition from Straight while
Fox lifts up his foot
Lag Time: Very slight (a few frames) as Fox replaces his foot
Knockback: Extremely low
Intermediary animation: 6 frames
Hits: 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 24-25, 31-32
1 full cycle: 36 frames
A simple yet semi-effective way to add on damage, Rapid Kicks closely follow
the Jab and Straight punches. Larger opponents can be caught in this move for
upwards of 15% of damage, depending on where they are when you begin the
series and their percentage when you first begin hitting them with it. For
this reason, you should initiate the series as close as possible to the
opponent so it takes longer for them to DI out of your flying feet. Opponents
who habitually crouch-cancel and who do not react in time in between each of
the Rapid Kicks can be caught in them for quite a while before they scroll or
DI out and away from you. Also, be adept at very quickly executing the Jab and
Straight (with two swift taps of the A button) to catch the opponent closer to
yourself when you start the Rapid Kicks. When you see your opponent begin to
crawl out of your Rapid Kicks, follow immediately into a down-tilt, grab, or
other fast move so as to give yourself the best chance to cut off their re-
sponse.
Be sure not to Rapid Kick for long periods of time; your opponent oftentimes
can escape from a set of Rapid Kicks before you are actually finished with it,
and any number of their moves can cut through your low-priority kicks. Also, be
aware that many characters, particularly lighter ones with lower falling
speeds, can DI out before your first set of Rapid Kicks ends; this can result
in Fox being hit with a sex kick as he is replacing his foot from the kicks.
Players can also DI your initial Jab or Straight if they react fast enough, in
which case your Rapid Kicks may not always be your safest option. If they can
get out of range of the last few strikes of your final set of kicks, they will
be ready to react before you thanks in no small part to the Rapid Kick's post-
move lag. Be wary of this, especially at higher percents and while facing
characters with slower falling speeds; in both instances, their amount of
directional influence may allow them to hit you before you are out of your
post-move lag.
Truth be told, the Rapid Kicks hold very little weight in Fox's developed meta-
game. Their effects are not powerful enough to secure a mainstay spot in his
repertoire, and they are not the most effective of follow-ups to the quicker
Jab, which is far more versatile than the Rapid Kicks could ever hope to be. At
best, the Kicks can be an interesting add-on move for a variation in technique
or style or to respond somewhat to crouch-cancelers. Be sure not to make these
Kicks your principle follow-up to your Jabs and Straights as you have far more
powerful options in jump-canceled grabs and up-smashes.
Fox Kick
Button: Left/Right tilt + A
Damage: 4-9%
Speed: High
Priority: Medium-high
Range: Medium; straight variation has longest range
Start Time: Virtually nonexistent start-up; one of the fastest tilts in the
game
Lag Time: Very slight amount as Fox replaces his foot
Knockback: Decent
Total frames: 26
Hit frames: 5-8
A simple one-foot kick. Beginning Fox players tend to spam this move even more
than the blaster, for some random reason. Regardless, it is Fox's regular
kick and doesn't exactly excel at damage or knockback, in addition to leaving
you open for a tiny bit as Fox withdraws his foot. Don't rely on this too
much; quick Jabs and Straights are more reliable than this at low percentages
(in addition to leaving you open for far less time), and the slight lag time
afterwards will stop you from effectively pursuing foes at higher percentages
(which is when you should use shuffled sex kicks). Fox's forward-tilt does
come out rather quickly, however, and therefore carries a decent amount of
priority with it. The forward-tilt itself is almost as fast in execution speed
as your Jab, but with greater range and knockback, and it is because of this
that the forward-tilt is a good defensive option when your opponent is at
higher percents. You can often intercept an incoming attack with a well-placed
forward-tilt, if you react in time. Remember that you can combine the forward-
tilt with a reverse wavedash to further improve your defensive abilities.
Remember that this single attack essentially consists of three attacks: a kick
aimed about level with Fox's head, another nearly straight out in front of him,
and yet another at a low angle near the ground. The angle in which you tilt the
control stick for the attack determines which variant you will use (even a
slight difference in the angle will change which variant you use); there is no
clear-cut way to explain the angles, but with enough play you will "feel" where
you need to tilt in order to execute a certain variant. In addition, each
variant sends its foe at a different angle in the knockback, i.e., the high at
a higher angle, the straight at a relatively straight angle, and the low at a
relatively low angle (essentially a trip).
The straight variant has the longest range of the three, and also has an
interesting property to it. Since it pushes the enemy a good distance away, it
can be used effectively to combat crouch-cancellers, a very important
attribute for close-range melees involving characters that utilize crouch-
canceling as a significant part of their game, such as Samus and Mr. Game and
Watch.
The upper variant is not really used as much as the other two variants. It
does not have the crouch-cancel-stopping ability of the straight variant,
and with the withdrawal time of the move factored in, you cannot reliably
combo out of it to boot.
The lower variant can be used as a form of edgeguarding (obviously because
Fox's foot extends slightly below the stage) that can catch many opponents out
of the air. A nifty technique in and of itself, but if you want other options
for edgeguarding, you can go for the down-tilt to pop the opponent back into
the air (where you can do more with them) or the vulpine's powerful shine (the
shine will be discussed in great detail later). Ledge-hopped and shine-turned
back-aerials are also very effective forms of edgeguarding in addition to
powerful methods for dealing a quick and lethal off-stage hit.
Back Kick
Button: Up tilt + A
Damage: 5-12%
Speed: High
Priority: Deceptively high
Range: Medium
Start Time: Nonexistent
Lag Time: Virtually nonexistent
Knockback: Decent
Total frames: 24
Hit frames: 5-11
IASA: 23
This move is deceptively powerful and in itself is capable of KOing opponents
at higher percentages (around the 130's). A natural follow-up to the hilarity
that is Fox's down-throw (against foes not well-versed in teching or DI), it
can also aid in juggling your opponent following an up-throw (against
experienced foes), where it can hit them often two to four times before they
float out of its reach, depending on their percentage and amount of DI. The
Back Kick is a natural partner with the down-tilt and Jab, both of which throw
your opponent into the air in their own way. An interesting property of the
kitsune's up-tilt is that, although it appears that he only strikes above him-
self, his up-tilt actually has the ability to hit both in front of and in back
of him in a certain small radius. This is not exactly game-breaking, but it
does improve your ability to juggle from the ground with this move.
The up-tilt is quite an effective move, but sometimes it can get thrown aside
in the usual Fox approaches of shuffled neutral- and down-aerials to waveshines
or jump-canceled shines. Regardless, there are more than a few ways in which
you can use it effectively. For example, the up-tilt makes a powerful anti-
aerial weapon due to its strangely-high priority and its speed. It is sur-
prising how well this single move disrupts approaches; simply turn your back to
your enemy and let loose with a few well-timed up-tilts to catch your foe and
ready him for a back- or up-aerial or up-smash. Another way to make use of the
up-tilt is as a follow-up to a down-aerial that is DI'ed behind your opponent,
preferably when he or she is shielding (note that an up-tilt from a down-aerial
is not a stable combo, and as such it is best to DI to the back in order to
avoid easy retaliation from your foe in the form of a shield-grab or other
shield counter; the fact that he or she is shielding prevents the down-aerial
from turning him or her around to face you and thus creating an opportunity to
break out of your "combo"). From your position behind your opponent, your up-
tilt can either catch them as they attempt to escape their shield, or it can
eat away at their shield should they insist on holding it up for some time. If
the up-tilt hits, you can follow (depending on the character and the percen-
tage) with the usual up- or back-aerial, up-smash (turned around for the sweet-
spot, if necessary), or more up-tilts to an up-smash or turn-around grab to the
usual up-aerial juggling. It is of course entirely possible for your opponent
to escape the shield in between your up-tilts, so be prepared for that
possibility as well. You can apply this same up-tilt follow-up to a shuffled
neutral-aerial that lands you at your opponent's back except without the fear
of your initial move turning them around to face you (thus making it an ideal
pressure move whether or not your opponent is shielding; remember that even
this is not a stable combo, however, but rather a follow-up).
If you want to get unnecessarily creative with your edgeguarding, you can
actually get some use out of the up-tilt there, too (with good timing, of
course; its priority alone will more often than not allow it to plow through a
good deal of recoveries). Your best follow-up should you choose to go this
unique route would be a back-aerial to send your opponent back out again, per-
haps for good this time, or, if you are facing a floatier character, an up-
aerial may allow you to deal the killing blow right then. Of course, you have
better and more efficient forms of edgeguarding as discussed earlier (shine-
spikes, the down-smash, and ledge-hopped back-aerials come to mind).
Fox Tail
Button: Down tilt + A
Damage: 5-10%
Speed: High
Priority: Medium
Range: Medium
Start Time: Nonexistent
Lag Time: Slight lag time after the attack while Fox swishes his tail back to
its normal position
Knockback: Significant
Total frames: 29
Hit frames: 7-9
IASA: 28
One of Fox's longer tilts in both range and total frame time, this move pops
opponents up into the air, readying them for an up-smash, up-tilt, or juggling
via up-aerials. On less experienced opponents, i.e., those that do not know how
to tech or DI, you can get an easy launch off of the down-tilt from a down-
throw, but otherwise I would advise you to steer clear of that generally in-
effective route as the up-throw, up-tilt, and up-smash are obviously far more
powerful launchers. On a side note, keep in mind that the hit box for this move
is in front of Fox, not on both sides of him. In other words, don't try to hit
an opponent at your rear with this move; that's why the down-smash is here.
The down-tilt, although not the most versatile or powerful of Fox's moves, has
its own uses in battle. It can be used to circumvent spent shields as it creeps
underneath toward your foe's feet, and it also functions at higher percents as
a strange alternative vertical KO move. In addition, you can use the down-tilt
for edgegaurding since Fox swishes his tail over the edge (keep in mind that
this will rarely if ever hit sweet-spotting opponents, thus making it a sort of
innovative punishment for a missed sweet-spot). With your opponent off of his
or her aerial feet, you are free to push them into the open air yet again with
a neutral- or back-aerial, or you may be able to kill right then and there with
an up-aerial. With proper timing, a Fox Tail also can break up foolhardy, hasty
charges, more often than not brought on by your blaster spamming, since the
tail extends in front of the vulpine.
Remember that the down-tilt is not fast enough to form true combos from your
neutral- and down-aerial approaches; its short and front-facing hitbox also
forces you to be in a certain position for it to connect. Regardless, you can
still use the down-tilt as a sort of spacing fixer after a shuffled neutral- or
down-aerial. For example, should you underestimate the distance between your-
self and your opponent in your approach, a follow-up down-tilt could give you
the range to connect and prep your opponent for an up- or back-aerial. You can
also use this technique to deal with players who insist on constantly wave-
dashing backward to deal with your approach.
Roundhouse Kick
Button: Left/right Smash + A (Left/Right C-Stick)
Damage: 8-15%
Speed: Relatively high for a Smash
Priority: High
Range: Medium-high
Start Time: Noticeable start-up frames as Fox winds up
Lag Time: Noticeable lag once the attack finishes; again, watch yourself at
lower percentages
Knockback: Significant, although not high for a Smash
Total frames: 39
Hit frames: 12-22
Charge frame: 7
Although not as powerful an attack as his wing mate Falco's, Fox's forward-
smash is relatively powerful and fast, always a good combination and can be
used effectively as an edge-guarding tool. Avoid it at low percentages,
however, as your opponent may be able to hit you while you are in the lag from
flying past them (especially if they are crouch-canceling). Also keep in mind
that because of the move's noticeable wind-up time and good amount of post-hit
ineffective frames, the forward-smash is very exploitable by shield grabbers;
considering Fox's built-in vulnerability to chain throws and juggles given to
him by his fast-falling, chances are you would rather avoid falling into one of
those.
Overall, this is certainly not Fox's most desirable Smash; that honor belongs
to the up-smash. However, it is useful in its own right to plow through frontal
defenses and still allow you time to pursue at higher percentages. The forward-
smash is also a useful tool in conjunction with the reverse wavedash mind game.
Your goal in this is to charge toward your opponent while watching their
character very closely for signs of movement. If you see them begin to wind up
an attack, immediately wavedash backwards and follow with a forward-smash right
into their face. However, note that you may have to decrease your wavedash’s
regular horizontal movement in order to connect fully with the forward-smash.
You have two ways of going about this. You can wait a short amount of time be-
fore air-dodging into the ground and thus perform a triangle jump, which will
not carry you as far as a wavedash would, or you can change the angle of your
control stick for the wavedash's air-dodge. You do this by tilting it slightly
below one of the diagonal notches around the control stick instead of into one
of them. Thus, your angle for a shortened wavedash should be between the down-
ward-diagonal notch and the downward notch. This too will shorten your wave-
dash; you will see the primary reason for doing this below.
The forward-smash itself has its own form of a sweet spot; in this case, it is
more like a "sweet time." The move is more powerful nearer to its initial
attack point. For example, you forward-smash while your opponent is falling to
earth from a jump. You have been forward-smashing (that is, been in the ani-
mation of it) for about a quarter of a second or so when your opponent falls
onto your forward-smash. You will notice that you will not get the “solid” hit
of the forward-smash, but rather a “soft” hit (which is you essentially
stepping on your foe) which produces far less knockback than a properly posi-
tioned forward-smash would have. For the most part, you should not concern
yourself with properly timing the forward-smash. Nearly 98% of the time, the
timing takes care of itself.
Although the forward-smash is not the most versatile or powerful of Fox's
smashes, it too has its own (mainly situational) uses. As mentioned above, it
is a handy edgeguarding tool against characters who lack good horizontal re-
covery options (Dr. Mario for his utter lack of horizontal range and Captain
Falcon for his easily-predictable recovery are some such characters). It can
also be used on-stage as a way to punish missed techs, preferably resulting in
your opponent being pushed off-stage where your ledge-hopped back-aerials can
finish the job (this is particularly effective in the fast-faller match-ups and
against characters whose recoveries can be exploited for easy kills). You can
also make use of the forward-smash as a way to punish badly-planned approaches;
simply wavedash back to space yourself correctly and let fly with the forward-
smash. Again, keep in mind your vulnerability to being shield-grabbed with the
forward-smash; it is best to play it safe and not make heavy use of this move
unless the situation is entirely appropriate (this is especially so in edge-
guarding).
Flip Kick
Button: Up Smash + A (Up C-Stick)
Damage: 10-18%
Speed: High, for a smash of this caliber
Priority: Relatively high
Range: Medium
Start Time: Short in terms of a Smash
Lag Time: Noticeable after the initial hit. You must wait for Fox to flip
completely around back onto his booted feet before you can move again; time
your follow-up to this move so that you begin it as soon as you can move
again.
Knockback: High
Total frames: 41
Hit frames: 7-17
Head invincible (but not snout) on frames: 1-9
Charge frame: 2
This move, known to all competent Fox players, is the vulpine's notorious up-
smash. Able to KO very consistently at relatively low percentages (an average
of 90-100%), you will see this used as often as possible by any Fox player who
knows what he or she is doing, and for good reason. It is fast, almost too
fast when combined with its startling power. Remember that the up-smash changes
its knockback power depending on which part of the circle created by Fox's
flipping feet hits the opponent. Generally, the most knockback occurs between
the outermost area (the perimeter of the circle) and the innermost area
(slightly around Fox's body). If you hit the opponent too near Fox's body or on
the very edge of the "circle" you will get essentially a "soft" hit, which will
not produce as much damage and not nearly as much knockback as a properly
positioned up-smash would. Rest assured, though, that it is not extremely
difficult to position this attack; it will become a natural feeling for you
with enough play. Of course, always try to achieve the proper positioning in
order to increase knockback and give yourself more time to recover and resume
the chase.
Also, be aware that soft-hitting an opponent will not stun them for as long,
and they may be able to recover and hit you back before the up-smash actually
ends. If you are truly talented at positioning Fox, you can strike opponents
in front of you with the diameter of this attack; chances are its stunning
priority will win out and punch through their defenses. Enemies in the rear
can also be hit by this attack, but this will nearly always result in a "soft"
hit; the down-smash is best for covering both sides of your furry hide. For
more craziness, try wavedashing out of the shine and into a killer up-smash.
In addition, you can up-smash right out of the shield. To do this, you must,
of course, be in the shield, and then jump and immediately smash up on the
C-Stick. The C-Stick will cancel your jump, much like Z for jump-canceled
grabs, and Fox will up-smash straight out of his shield. This is a very
powerful technique indeed, and if you can show your opponent that you can do
it consistently, it may make him think twice about his next move. You will find
that you can pull off more than a few kills with the up-smash out of shield as
an extremely powerful and effective punisher for all manner of technical mis-
takes that your opponent makes, from botched fast-falls to slow aerial-to-shine
transitions to shielded dash attacks to missed L-cancels and much more.
You can also up-smash out of a run. This is not at all difficult to do, and
may aid you in maintaining or beginning your combos or adding pressure onto
your opponent. While you are running, simply quickly press up and “A”
simultaneously (a jump-cancel; this must be perfectly synched, which is not
exactly hard to do, but if you make a mistake, you will probably end up
jumping), and you will perform a probably slightly charged up-smash. The same
general effect is achieved when you jump-cancel into an up-smash using the C-
Stick, but you are not given the ability to charge the up-smash easily while
you are enroute to the spot you were running to (note that you can charge C-
Stick smashes with the “Z” button, but it is extremely awkward to perform). The
main use of the running jump-canceled up-smash is to catch your opponent out of
the air right before he or she hits the ground and is given a window to get
away from your combo. You can also use it to zoom in with a pre-charged up-
smash during the lag from one of your opponent’s moves and begin some damaging
juggling. In addition, a charged jump-canceled up-smash is an often-lethal
finisher for your fast-faller chain throws, something to take into considera-
tion for the ditto match and the Fox-Falco match-up.
Remember that you can also up-smash out of a run via dash-canceling,
that is, by pressing down while running to cut your speed and momentum and then
immediately afterwards smashing up+A or up C-Stick. Note that if you use the C-
Stick for this maneuver you can continue to hold down on the control stick,
thus granting you a crouch-cancel that you can use to oppose other dash- or
jump-canceled up-smashes or simply to shrug off retaliating hits.
In terms of follow-ups and launchers, there is very little in Fox's arsenal
that can stand toe-to-toe with his up-smash. As mentioned previously, the up-
smash has more than its fair share of possibilities in battle. Jab to up-smash
is great to tie up your opponent's timing while simultaneously opening him to a
lethal hit. Waveshine to up-smash is a Fox favorite, particularly when done out
of a dodge at very close range or out of a connected down- or neutral-aerial.
The up-smash is also the finisher for Fox's infinites, which are discussed at
the end of the guide. Like the up-tilt, a well-timed up-smash can do wonders to
turn the tables on an approach, even one as speedy as your own shuffled
neutral-aerial when spaced and timed correctly; although a risky endeavor, an
anti-aerial up-smash can pay off in more than a few instances, especially when
it leads to juggling or death right after breaking the opponent's advance.
Mind-gaming into an up-smash from dash- or wave-dances is also a viable option,
one that is made more effective by the up-smash's tendency to push shielding
opponents away and out of easy shield-grab range (they will instead have to
wavedash out of the shield to reach you, provided they are not a character with
an extendable grab). Of course, a lone up-smash by itself can lead to up-aerial
juggling or a back-aerial to edgeguarding, and it is the perfect companion to
finish off a round of up-tilts from an up-throw or otherwise.
In general, the up-smash is Fox's most versatile Smash in terms of power,
speed, and utility. It is a very effective killing move that comes out
quickly and sends the opponent airborne for a significant distance, opening
him or her to all manner of often-lethal follow-ups and combos (provided the
up-smash did not finish the stock then and there, that is).
Fox Split
Button: Down Smash + A (Down C-Stick)
Damage: 9-15%
Speed: Relatively high
Priority: Relatively high
Range: Medium-high; hits on both sides
Start Time: Fast
Lag Time: Oh, the lag time. After performing this painful attack, Fox must
pick himself up and spin around to resume his forward fighting stance.
Knockback: Decent
Total frames: 49
Hit frames: 6-10
Legs invincible on frame: 6
IASA: 46
Charge frame: 2
A decent smash at higher percentages, the down-smash should be used sparingly
as it has very noticeable recoil as Fox twists around to resume his fighting
stance. Used as an edge-guarding tool, it sends opponents off at a hideous
angle (especially effective on fast-fallers) if you can get Fox's foot to jut
out over the ledge and into your foe's face. Indeed, you will find this move
quite effective in dealing with opposing space animals at the edge (simply wait
for the distinctive *ping* of their respective Illusions and time your down-
smash to connect with them just as they reach the edge) as well as characters
with easily-read recoveries. In addition, you can flow easily into this move
should your opponent air-dodge your ledge-hopped or shine-turned back-aerial
(going into a properly-positioned forward-smash is also an option there).
Be wary with the down-smash, however. Granted, it is a Smash, but that does not
automatically make it a killer move; on the contrary, the down-smash will
rarely if ever kill someone (except during edgeguarding, of course), and the
lag time is definitely not worth using it as a primary killing move as you
would the up-smash. If you try this move at low and low-middle percents, you
will get hit back, no questions asked, especially if you hit a crouch-canceling
opponent. The down-smash is a good ender for a combo that has pushed your
opponent to the edge of the stage since by then its knockback power will have
increased, and it comes out faster than the forward-smash does to boot. If you
need a fast reaction, the down-smash can also punish opponents that you see
rolling behind you. Only try this at the high-middle and above percents as
there the move will knock them off their feet long enough for you to recover
and resume your stance.
Taunt: "Come on!"
Button: Up Control Pad
Fox leans far back to the ground and beckons to the opponent with a curling
finger and a "Come on!" as he motions toward himself with his head.
Duration: 110 frames, or 1.833333... seconds (thanks, Mew2King!)
"Come on!": 31 (thanks, SuperDoodleMan!)
OK, so it doesn't do any damage; it's not even a move, technically.
Nevertheless, there is nothing more annoying than hearing Fox taunt you from
across the stage while blaster fire crashes into you over and over again.
Besides which, mind games are always fun...and useful. See if you can irritate
your foe into making a hasty, unorganized charge at you. You'll be surprised
at how easy it is.
2. Running
Jumping Side Kick
Button: A
Damage: 4-7%
Speed: High
Priority: Medium
Range: Relatively high (horizontal distance)
Start Time: Very fast
Lag Time: Very noticeable after the initial effective moment as you fly past
your target, but it doesn't take you too long to recover.
Knockback: Enough to pop opponents into the air slightly.
Total frames: 39
Hit frames: 4-17
IASA: 36
Not exactly the most powerful move, this kick does have considerable
horizontal reach and does a decent job of plowing through a row of fighters.
It is an average follow-up to mind games involving dash-dancing and
wavedashing since it comes out pretty quickly, but you have far more effective
options. If you do use it, make sure to do so when you can clear your
opponent; you do not want to give them a chance to pivot around and smack you.
Look out for shield-grabbing, too. For these reasons, it is generally better
to perform multiple shuffled sex kicks instead of this move repeatedly; the
kicks are far faster and have far less lag time than the Jumping Side Kick, in
addition to being more powerful and allowing you far more effective follow-ups.
Don't rely too heavily on the dash attack, especially at higher levels of play.
Despite these taboos against the dash attack, it has its own unique uses. Since
the dash attack is not nearly as safe as shuffled neutral- and down-aerials,
you must be careful only to use this in relatively safe circumstances, much
like the down-smash. For example, should you notice that your opponent is not
prone to putting up his shield, you can often land a dash attack to begin
juggling with up-tilts and up-aerials or simply get a larger launch (or kill)
from an up-smash. Mind-gaming into a dash attack out of dash- and wave-dancing
is also a somewhat viable option, and you can even launch opponents into the
air after a shuffled neutral-aerial or two for juggling or the usual death by
up-smash. A more off-the-wall way to use the dash attack is as a strange form
of edgeguarding; the dash attack basically puts up a long-lasting hitbox at the
edge which if it connects with your returning opponent will set them up for a
forward-, down-, or up-smash (depending on percentage and DI, of course).
Innovative, yes, but not as efficient and effective as other previously-dis-
cussed methods of edgeguarding. If by chance you are facing a less-than-com-
petent player, you can effectively juggle them on your foot with this move. You
hit them once, and while they are in the air, you turn around immediately and
do the same thing again. Watch out for the strange "anti-gravity" effect,
though.
Another often-neglected use for this attack is against boomerang-happy Link and
Young Link players, strangely enough. Most starter Fox players would resort to
the Reflector to bat away the Hylian heroes' weaponry; this is if you do not
really care about advancing on your opponent or allowing them to advance on you
since you have a moment of time when the projectile hits your Reflector that
you are "frozen" there. The time is not significant, but could cost you your
advance and thus your trademark game-winning pressure. If you dash attack into
the boomerang instead of reflecting it, the collision will cancel your kick and
send the boomerang back towards them, within which time you should have Fox-
trotted or simply run right up to them and begun a nasty shine combo. The same
maneuver can be done with Jabs and Straights, but owing to their already
lightning-quick speeds, the collision cancel will do essentially nothing. The
forward movement from the dash attack also allows you some advance on the Links
as well, again making it a more effective form of dispatching the boomerang,
and the longer hitbox on the dash attack removes practically any need of timing
on your part as well. Do not forget that there is also a tiny bit of lag for
Link and Young Link when they grab their returning boomerang; try to use that
to your advantage, too.
The dash attack also factors in to an advanced technique named the "boost grab"
(discussed under "Advanced Techniques," appropriately enough). This grab when
used with Fox doubles the distance of his running grab.
3. Air
Flying Kick
Button: A
Damage: 7-12%
Speed: Very high
Priority: Relatively high
Range: Medium-low
Start Time: Very fast
Lag Time: Without L-canceling, too high for a Fox player. With L-canceling,
you can combo into all sorts of things.
Knockback: Medium
Total frames: 49
Hit frames: 4-31
IASA: 42
Auto-cancel: <3 37>
Land lag: 15
L-canceled: 7
This kick is interesting in that Fox's foot stays out for quite a while,
giving the move a large chance of hitting a foe (Fox's "sex kick"). Average
damage and very fast come-out time comprise this move, Fox’s basic aerial
attack. Note that the damage that this move inflicts decreases with the amount
of time that Fox has his foot out; thus, the strongest attack will occur at
the very beginning of this move.
Shuffled (short-hopped, fast-fallen, L-canceled) neutral-aerials are one of
Fox's two key approaches, the other being a shuffled down-aerial. The sheer
speed with which the neutral-aerial comes out coupled with its good priority
allows you an extremely powerful advance that is difficult to break should you
apply enough pressure on your opponent. Their best solution to your approach is
a backward wavedash to reposition themselves and space for either a jump-can-
celed grab, forward-smash, or other fast, high-priority attack; your answer to
this is to make your shuffle as crisp and clean as possible in order to create
the least possible down-time. You can then follow your shuffle with a quick Jab
to reach out and cut off your opponent's response while also opening them to a
jump-canceled grab or an up-smash.
The beauty of the shuffled neutral-aerial approach is its complete safety and
versatility. A shine or Jab (preferably shine) after one of these will do one
of a few things: it will either prevent shield-grabbing (scoring a hit with the
shine on those who attempt to shield-grab and setting up for all manner of
follow-ups); allow you to escape and reset the confrontation should your oppo-
nent continue to hold up his shield throughout your shuffled neutral-aerial and
shine sequence; or allow you more follow-ups and combos should the neutral-
aerial connect on an unshielding opponent. Should you connect with the shine
(again, preferred over the Jab for its speed and your ability to jump-cancel it
quickly and not get shield-grabbed as you would if you were to Jab a shield,
although you could stagger a Straight a bit after the Jab to catch attempts at
grabbing), you have your choice of any number of often-lethal follow-ups
thanks to your waveshining. Up-smash out of a waveshine after a shuffled
neutral-aerial is a favorite of Fox players due in no small part to its dual
stun and kill characteristics that cause even a single connected aerial to lead
to very damaging juggling (or infinites, if you prefer that route); another
major follow-up after a connected neutral-aerial to waveshine is a jump-can-
celed grab that can lead to juggling or simply a lethal up-aerial.
Keep in mind that shining after a shuffled neutral-aerial should not be your
constant muscle-memoried reflex; for example, at higher percents, should you
connect with the aerial, cut out the shine entirely and instead follow your
opponent's trajectory with a dashing jump-canceled up-smash to finish him while
you have the opportunity (especially effective against floatier opponents). You
can also chain your shuffled sex kicks on heavier characters, your first kick
knocking them forward and your subsequent kicks catching them out of the air
and sending them sailing once again. However, you must follow your foe's DI and
switch off between sweet-spotted and non-sweet-spotted hits for it to be most
effective.
Tornado Kick
Button: Towards Tilt + A (Towards C-Stick)
Damage: Usually 5-18% (varies depending on number of hits)
Speed: Relatively high
Priority: Medium-low
Range: Medium
Start Time: Very fast
Lag Time: The Tornado Kick doesn't L-cancel as well as Fox's other aerials;
regardless, without it, you are facing a considerable amount of landing lag
time.
Knockback: Very low
Total frames: 59
Hit frames: 6-8, 16-18, 24-26, 33-35, 43-45
IASA: 53
Auto-cancel: <5 49>
Land lag: 22
L-canceled: 11
A rapid series of aerial kicks that can add on a decent amount of damage. If
you don't L-cancel this, you will find yourself facing considerable lag time
once you land. This move is known to inexperienced Fox players everywhere as
one of the two main causes of self-destructs; because of Fox's sensitive
controls, the unwary player attempting to edgeguard can slide off the arena
in a Tornado Kick with even the slightest touch of the control stick or "A"
button. Stick to the sex kicks for far more effective aerial combat; the
Tornado Kick stops on its own accord and carries very little knockback other
than the very first kick in the series, which has decent knockback and stun.
This means that a quick-witted foe could hit you right when you finish the
move, as chances are they haven't gone anywhere, particularly at low percents.
The sex kicks also have far cleaner and faster L-cancels, still another reason
why they are superior to the forward-aerial.
Regardless of its generally low knockback, the forward-aerial's one redeeming
factor is its very first hit, which carries with it decent knockback and stun.
In order to use the forward-aerial most effectively, you must shuffle it to
make better use of that one strong hit, meaning you must fast-fall and L-cancel
right after the first hit connects. That first hit sets your foe up rather
nicely for a good deal of your follow-ups thanks to its horizontal knockback,
including a dashed jump-canceled up-smash, which can lead further into
juggling or a lethal up-aerial. Once your sex kicks begin to send your foe too
far away for you to combo or pursue effectively, begin gradually switching off
to shuffled forward-aerials; these will keep your foe within a manageable
comboing distance, or enough so for you to tack on enough damage to make your
finisher of choice lethal.
Overall, a shuffled forward-aerial's uses are akin to those of a sex kick's;
you simply receive less knockback, a smaller hit box, and a shorter
move duration. In exchange, however, you get better aerial comboing at higher
percents, which could lead quickly into an up-smash for the kill. However,
other than these instances, you will find that Fox's forward-aerial does not
play nearly as crucial a role in his gameplay as his other aerials do.
Reverse Spin Kick
Button: Away Tilt + A (Away C-Stick)
Damage: 8-15%
Speed: Very High
Priority: Medium
Range: Medium
Start Time: Very fast
Lag Time: Significant without L-canceling. Not as cleanly L-cancelable as the
neutral-aerial, but still somewhat fast.
Knockback: Medium
Total frames: 39
Hit frames: 4-19
IASA: 38
Auto-cancel: <3 24>
Land lag: 20
L-canceled: 10
The backwards partner of the Flying Kick, this has the same significant stay-
out time and fast come-out time (essentially Fox's "reverse sex kick"). If you
can begin juggling your foe (usually with the aid of an up-throw or short-
hopped up-aerial), you can combine this kick with fast-falls and effectively
bounce your foe through the air and out of the arena. In addition, you can
finish juggling or aerial combo strings with a well-placed back-aerial to send
your foe off-stage (at times, you may have to shine-turn into the back-aerial
in order to hit with its sweet-spot; see the bottom of the next paragraph for
instructions on the shine-turn). Along with the neutral-, up-, and down-
aerials, the back-aerial constitutes the backbone of your aerial assault. You
can short-hop into this move if you feel it is necessary; just watch your
timing on the lengthy L-cancel. Remember for all aerials that you can jump
right out of a shield or shine and into the aerial of your choice; you do not
want to waste precious frames waiting for your shield or shine to lower com-
pletely to launch another attack.
In addition, the reverse sex kick functions in an edgeguarding/edgehogging
capacity. If you grab the edge to make it more difficult for your opponent to
return and you see that he is going to land squarely on the stage anyway, you
can perform an interesting form of edgeguarding with a bit of quick reaction
time and finger work. To do this, you must drop from the edge, and then
immediately jump back up (so that it appears as if you jumped up from the
ledge) and use a back-aerial to knock your opponent away yet again. You
can repeat this as many times as you wish as long as you can grab the ledge
again after each attempt. Of course, doing this requires that you can
anticipate the trajectory of your opponent's comeback, so you may need to
vary the length of your drop and jump in order to hit them with the strongest
hit time of the back-aerial. Against larger characters and characters with
easily-predictable recoveries, a connected ledge-hopped back-aerial often
means death when followed up with more ledge-hopped back-aerials.
However, depending on your opponent's proximity to the stage, you may have to
adjust your tactics with the edgeguarding back-aerial. For example, when close
to the stage, your opponent may opt to air-dodge your back-aerial hoping both
to avoid that hit and return to the stage; you can combat this by forcing an
early air-dodge toward the stage, DI'ing toward the stage, fast-falling and L-
canceling your back-aerial, and following with a down- or forward-smash to send
your foe out again (remember to wait for the air-dodge's invincibility frames
to end, if necessary). When your opponent is above and away from the stage, you
can take this opportunity to earn an easy kill by jumping toward your opponent,
activating your shine (stalling the jump-cancel a bit if you need to compensate
for your timing), turning around in the shine so that your back is facing your
opponent, and jump-canceling the shine into a back-aerial. For many characters,
the speed and angle at which the back-aerial comes out is tough to handle, and
if you force an air-dodge, so much the better; simply return to the stage and
continue edgeguarding with a down- or forward-smash (or up-smash, if you can
get a lethal one to connect).
McCloud Flip
Button: Up Tilt + A (Up C-Stick)
Damage: 9-16%
Speed: High
Priority: Medium
Range: Relatively close-range
Start Time: Fast
Lag Time: Fox flounders about on the ground for a bit trying to right himself
if you don't L-cancel this. This is especially obvious when short-hopping
this.
Knockback: Relatively high
Total frames: 39
Hit frames: 8-9, 11-14
IASA: 36
Auto-cancel: <7 26>
Land lag: 18
L-canceled: 9
Another member of Fox's four most feared moves, it is the McCloud Flip that
gives the vulpine his incredible aerial knockout ability. This move, which has
increased greatly in power since the N64 version, easily kills even the
heaviest of opponents, Bowser and Ganondorf included. Those two heavyweights
can usually be killed with little trouble at around 110-120% with the McCloud
Flip on stages with an average ceiling height. On low-ceiling stages, such as
Flat Zone and, appropriately enough, Corneria and Venom, the percentage
decreases to around 90-100%. A fun trick is doing the Flip in a short hop,
allowing you to begin some very damaging juggling or even unorthodox
edgeguarding. Remember to fast-fall once you commence juggling in order to fit
in follow-up Flips for the kill before the enemy hits the ground.
Although it is possible to use a shuffled up-aerial as a launcher, out of a
shield or otherwise, its main purpose is (obviously) as an often-lethal
juggler. Your two main launchers for up-aerial juggling are the up-throw and
the up-smash, both of which are often preceded by a waveshine (remember that
you can also up-smash out of shield for the launch, too). The up-aerial is
also a viable option from the ledge; simply ledge-hop into it, making sure to
fall the correct distance so as to connect with its powerful sweet spot. You
can often kill from the launch that this gives you if you can turn the con-
frontation around with a well-placed back-aerial or another up-aerial (as
appropriate). If you want to get creative with your off-stage kills, you can
drop from the ledge and jump up into your opponent with an up-aerial; an inno-
vative kill, but it can sometimes be risky against certain recoveries, es-
pecially those with high priority.
The anatomy of a sweet-spotted hit on the McCloud Flip is quite strange.
Usually, the most powerful hits occur at the tips of Fox's feet (or the tip of
the target's body), where you will usually get one clean stroke. If the first
stroke of the move hits on your enemy's body, you will usually get one hit and
then a finishing stroke. The sweet spot is quite consistent, though. Usually,
you only get the "slap" of a failed McCloud Flip if you fall away from the
target too fast (such as in fast-falling) or are way too far away for the
second stroke to hit. Holding up during the move seems to help clarify these
failed sweet spot issues. However, be aware that opponents can DI the initial
hit up and escape the more powerful second hit if you are not close enough to
them.
Drill Kick
Button: Down Tilt + A (Down C-Stick)
Damage: Usually 1-16% (varies depending on number of hits)
Speed: High
Priority: Medium-low
Range: Close-range
Start Time: Very fast
Lag Time: Significant if not L-canceled; if L-canceled, there is virtually no
lag time.
Knockback: Nonexistent
Total frames: 49
Hit frames: 5-6, 8-9, 11-12, 14-15, 17-18,
20-21, 23-24
Auto-cancel: <4 31>
Land lag: 18
L-canceled: 9
A move that sends Fox spiraling downwards at his opponent in a flurry of
kicks, the down-aerial itself has no actual knockback and therefore is best
used to set up combos and follow-ups focusing on the Jab and the shine as
starters. The other feasible use for the down-aerial is as part of one of Fox's
"infinite shine" techniques. Note, however, that the down-aerial is not a
spike as Falco's is; if you try to use it as such, you will drill yourself
through your opponent and into the abyss.
The two moves that truly combo from Fox's down-aerial are the Jab and the
shine; in conjunction with these two moves, you can start off a powerful combo
that can lead to death or heavy damage via juggling (or an infinite to death,
if you are able to go that route). Thanks to the down-aerials quick, extended
hit frames and good L-cancel speed, you can switch it in and out with the
shuffled neutral-aerial as your primary approach. Once you pin your opponent,
shielding or not, in the down-aerial, you have more than a few options
available to you. If you DI behind a shielding opponent, you can take chunks
out of their shield or prep them for juggling with repeated up-tilts; a re-
peated down-wavedash shine also does wonders to destroy shields and force an
escape attempt. Should you run into the front of a shield or otherwise land on
top of your opponent in the down-aerial, make sure to shine in order to stop
any attempts at shield-grabbing and open him or her to a potentially-fatal up-
smash or grab. If you notice that your opponent constantly attempts to shield-
grab, not holding up his or her shield past the shine, you can sub in a Jab to
prep for an up-smash to the usual juggling. Even at the front of a shield, re-
peated down-wavedash shines can make opponents be cautious about attempting to
do anything out of the shield lest they get caught by the shine and are dragged
into one of Fox's characteristic lethal follow-ups. Out of a down-aerial to
shine, you can switch things up against opponents who insist on holding their
shields up throughout your entire assault by grabbing directly out of the shine
(explained later). For players who jump out of their shields, you can jump-can-
cel the shine into a neutral-aerial or a falling up-aerial, both of which could
lead to death by edgeguarding (given the right environment) or a vertical kill,
respectively; if you anticipate correctly the angle of their jump, you can also
connect with a back-aerial.
The highest-level use of Fox's down-aerial is as a part of one of his infinite
shine techniques, all of which are discussed in detail near the end of this
guide.
4. Throws
Fox executes his throws quickly (within half a second of the beginning of the
throw), so be ready with follow-up attacks. Fox also has a short reach, so
compensate for that by using dash-grabs, jump-canceled (for added speed) or
non-jump-canceled (for added range) whenever possible. Of course, all buttons
listed are while Fox is holding on to the opponent. Generally, stick to the
up-throw for all-purpose comboing and juggling use and the forward and back
throws to get your foes off the arena. The down-throw is flashy, but it is
teched and DI'ed far too easily to be feasible in a higher-level fight (al-
though is has its uses).
Grab
Total frames: 30
Grab frames: 7-8
Running Grab
Total frames: 40
Grab frames: 12-13
Knee
Button: A...
Damage: 3%
Speed: High
Fox knees his opponent while they are stuck in his grip, pure and simple. Use
this to add on damage and create a farther throw. Be careful not to get too
knee-happy though, or your foe will rotate out of your grip before you get to
the fun part. Kneeing also gives your opponent time to input DI, so it may
benefit you to forego kneeing and instead get right on to the usual up-throw so
as not to jeopardize your follow-up. At stage edges, however, a few knees could
give your forward- or back-throw enough power to send your opponent a decent
distance, giving you time to set up your edgeguard.
Elbow Bash
Button: Towards
Damage: 3%
Speed: High
Fox's forward throw isn't very powerful; its most common use is to get the
opponent off of the arena, where they are vulnerable to shine spiking and edge-
hogging and -guarding. When combined with the speed of a jump-canceled grab,
you can often slap unwary opponents across significant portions of the stage;
after a while, many will dodge or use an escape move (such as Bowser's Whirling
Fortress) to avoid your grab, but you can easily adjust and either wait for the
dodge to punish or wait for and follow the escape move.
Skeet Blaster
Button: Away
Damage: 7%
Speed: High
Fox's back throw is flashy, but not very powerful. Yet again, its primary use
is to get opponents off the edge and into the open air, where you are better
able to control them with blaster fire, edge-hogging and -guarding, and shine-
spiking.
Star Blaster
Button: Up
Damage: 7%
Speed: High
Fox's most useful throw, the up-throw gets your opponents into the air and
ready for juggling or a deadly up-aerial as a finisher. It can also be used
multiple times, with Fox hurling opponents into the air, blasting them,
and catching them again during their descent (Fox can chain his up-throw on
fast-fallers, which can often mean a single grab leading to a lost stock or a
significant chunk of damage). Combo this with the up-tilt for repeated beatings
or the up-smash for a big hit (both of which are common in nearly all match-
ups, but since fast-fallers can be hit multiple times by both the up-tilt and
up-smash, particularly if they miss their tech, the two moves are especially
powerful there). At lower percentages, the up-throw can be used in combination
with the up-tilt and up-smash until usually around 30-40%, and possibly 50% on
the larger characters. Mix in Jabs and Straights to tie up returning enemies
and lower their defenses for another up-throw.
Remember that your enemies can DI your up-throw quite well, so be ready to
follow them and catch them out of the air with a jump-canceled grab or a jump-
canceled (charged, if possible) up-smash, or even a shuffled up-aerial, if you
can manage it. Not kneeing opponents in your grip and progressing quickly and
smoothly from the initial grab to your up-throw both can make DI'ing the up-
throw more difficult.
Be careful with the up-throw on floatier characters such as Marth and Luigi.
The green plumber's sex kick is very potent, and his slower falling speed may
allow him to regain his stance in the air as you are traveling up to meet him.
Be aware that his sex kick, like all others, comes out very quickly, and due to
the unique interworkings of Luigi's slower falling speed and Fox's faster fall-
ing speed, he may be able to hit you with it multiple times on your descent.
Marth is also a risk to use the up-throw on. His slower falling speed also will
allow him to regain his stance in the air, and virtually all of his aerials
possess more than enough priority to bite through any of yours. His Counter too
can be activated in the air, and it will bat you away and end your combo. If
you can work around these things, however, you will find that Marth is quite
vulnerable to your up-aerial, and dies quite easily to it, in addition, so do
not completely phase out the up-throw from your reportoire in the Marth match-
up; at early percents, you can often tack on a good 50% or so from a single
grab thanks to two or three up-aerials. To beat the Counter, simply take note
of when your opponent begins to put it in his style and either wait for it or
draw it out by jumping up toward Marth and feigning an up-aerial. Most players
will find it difficult to react in time with Marth's aerials, however, so you
should be safe for the most part in going for up-aerials from an up-throw. The
up-throw is, after all, one of Fox's most powerful assets.
Floor Blaster
Button: Down
Damage: 4%
Speed: High
Ah, the down-throw, bane of non-techers and non-DI'ers everywhere. This is a
natural starter for the down- and up-tilts should your foe fail to tech or DI
it, and both tilts can throw opponents into the air as you prepare to juggle
them. For the ditto match, you will need to know how to tech or DI out of the
down-throw yourself so as not to fall prey to otherwise easily-avoidable combos
like the down-throw to up-tilt, down-tilt, or up-smash, all of which can lead
to lethal up-aerials themselves if the initial hit does not kill you. It is not
at all difficult to tech or DI out of a down-throw, however, and it is a skill
necessary for you to get out of these aforementioned combos.
There are indeed two ways to get out of the down-throw, one in which you
actually tech (that is, hit L or R as soon as you hit the floor and either roll
away or stand up immediately), and another in which you simply DI (directional
influence) to the right or left as the down-throw begins.
Actually teching out of the down-throw requires some timing abilities. If
you perform a down-throw in Training Mode on 1/4 speed setting, you will notice
that you bounce slightly when Fox down-throws you. You must press L or R right
when you hit the floor from that bounce, and that is the timing for actually
teching a down-throw (except it is done in normal 1 speed in the game, of
course). You'll need to roll away from your tech (using the control stick in
the desired direction at the same time that you press L or R), because if you
tech and stand up immediately, you give Fox the time that he needs to pull off
a quick Jab or waveshine where he stands (which is not all that difficult),
both of which are more than capable of being strung into the very combo that
you were trying to avoid in the first place. Remember that you are not
perfectly safe even if you tech-roll his down-throw; Fox can follow where you
tech and hit you during your post-roll lag with a jump-canceled up-smash, if he
reacts quickly enough, in which case he will lead that into an enormous
juggling combo or finish you with an up-aerial, if the up-smash hasn't already
killed you. This is in fact a sufficient reason to "test" opponents with the
down-throw; should you notice a habit of theirs in terms of teching, i.e., al-
ways teching in the same place or direction, you can score easy up-smashes.
You can also DI left or right out of the down-throw and possibly away from
any stationary moves that the Fox had planned for you if you did not tech or DI
his down-throw (the up-tilt and up-smash are the most likely candidates for
this, both of which can be strung into a very damaging juggling combo leading
up to an up-aerial finisher). DI stands for "directional influence," and it is
influencing the trajectory you are sent when hit by an attack by pressing the
control stick in the desired direction. Basically, you simply hold left or
right throughout Fox's down-throw, and you will pop out in the direction that
you pushed. Be warned that it is far easier for Fox to punish you for this than
it is for him to punish a tech-roll; you are not given any moments of invinci-
bility using DI, and you do not travel as far, either. This makes it a cinch
for Fox to catch you with the tip of his tail in his down-tilt if you did not
DI enough, or even jump-cancel an up-smash very quickly and hit you with that.
As always, he will lead you into a juggling combo and finish you off if you are
not careful. Of course, all of this can be applied to the player whom you are
down-throwing as well.
All of the above is well known by experienced players of the game. If you are
facing even a slightly experienced player, expect them to always DI or tech out
of your down-throw. Be sure to follow their techs to the best of your abilities
with a quick jump-canceled up-smash; this will put them in the best position
for you to set up the juggling you had in mind. Your best alternative, however,
is to stay away from the down-throw for the most part. You will not always be
able to predict correctly the direction of their tech, and if you miss, they
may be able to hit you while you are in the post-move lag from your up-smash.
Be aware of this throughout all of your higher-level matches, and be sure to
rely far more on your up-throw than any of your other throws as you grow in
your experience. You will find that it can be chained into juggling combos and,
especially, lethal up-aerials, far more often than you think.
It is also possible to "throw-spike" an opponent with the down-throw. You must
of course be facing out into open air when you grab them, and ideally you will
grab them out of the air either right above the edge of the arena or above
nothing. You will know whether you did this correctly once you down-throw. If
you did, the throw will essentially meteor-smash them downwards to their death
in a gigantic spike. Generally, though, this technique is far too random and
impractical to be used consistently. Enemy directional influencing also throws
the down-throw off. Unless you are facing a very inexperienced player, drop
this from your routine entirely.
5. Special Moves (Ground or Air)
Blaster
Button: B...
Damage: 1-3% a shot
Speed: High
Priority: None
Range: Very long range (projectiles tend to do that), but the lasers themselves
disappear after 34 frames (a little more than half a second).
Start Time: Fast; Fox pulls out his trusty Blaster very quickly.
Lag Time: Little, if firing when grounded; none if short-hopped (the Blaster
auto-cancels).
Knockback: None
Ground frame data:
Total frames (single shot): 23
Shot comes out: 12
Air frame data:
Total frames (single shot): 36
Shot comes out: 10
Other data:
-Repeated shots fire every 10 frames.
-Laser lasts 34 frames
-Auto-cancels upon landing
The third member of Fox's most feared moves, Fox's blaster is a spammer's
delight, simply put. Combined with his lightning running speed and the fast
come-out and withdraw time of the blaster, Fox can snipe opponents from afar,
forcing them to come to him in a blind haste. Although they do not stun,
unlike Fox's N64 blaster, the lasers cannot be out-prioritized by any move in
the game except for, of course, a shield of some kind, and with simple button
timing you can keep Fox firing for a virtually limitless amount of time. A
well-known fact in the Smash community is that the vulpine's blaster was too
powerful for the current tournament stage set, which included Hyrule Temple.
The quick fox and his equally quick blaster were practically made for that
large stage, and Fox players became very adept at scampering about the stage,
sniping their opponents to high percents. Because of this (and multiple other
camping issues), it was agreed upon very early to ban Hyrule Temple from
standardized tournament play.
The Blaster is a handy gauge for your opponent's skill level, also. At the
beginning of the match, wavedash backwards and begin blasting your opponent
(including Ness, but probably not Fox or Falco, as everyone and their brother
knows about their Reflectors). Watch carefully how they react; if they charge
toward you (which is mostly the only thing most characters can do), you know
they have some competence in the game and should plan accordingly. Watch for
them to roll towards you, also, in which case you can anticipate the length
of their roll and knock them out of it (remember that there are periods of
vulnerability before and after the roll that you can take advantage of). If
they shield, chances are you're playing a not-so-smart player, but don't let
your guard down nevertheless; a blind, unplanned charge with Fox will usually
end in you getting hit hard. Plan your advances accordingly, and use the
vulpine's Blaster to force your foes to you lest they take too much damage. You
should be wary around characters such as Ness, Falco, and other Foxes as they
all have simple ways to combat the Blaster (however, you can take advantage of
the lag created by these characters' anti-projectile methods, the PSI Magnet
and shines, respectively, with a simple technique covered two paragraphs down).
As a side note, Fox's blaster shots cancel Sheik's needles, so do not be afraid
to start a projectile war with her as it is certainly a plus to make the ninja
come to you. Your blaster cannot stop all of the needles from a long-charged
attack, however, so be wary.
Despite the loss of Hyrule Temple and its massive spamming potential, you can
still spam the Blaster on most medium and large stages due to your foot speed.
Captain Falcon, with his faster foot speed, may be able to keep you from
consistently spamming the Blaster, but nearly every other enemy can be sniped
out with ease. You can augment your other attacks during the match with the
Blaster to increase their comboing potential. Around 30-40% on most opponents
is a good comboing percentage for Fox, and with the Blaster that goal is no-
where near out of reach.
Note that you can short-hop, fire off Fox's laser, and then fast-fall
in order to make yourself into a moving turret (abbreviated SHL for "short-hop
laser" or SHB for "short-hop blaster"). This technique, whose uses are covered
in more detail under "Advanced Techniques," makes use of the Blaster's ability
to auto-cancel, that is, remove any and all lag, upon landing. This allows you
to weave in and out of your opponent's range all while tacking on damage and
allowing yourself lag-free frames to respond however you deem necessary.
Fox Illusion
Button: Left/Right Smash + B
Damage: 3-7%
Speed: Actual execution is very fast, but pre- and post-move lag keep it from
being truly fast.
Priority: Low
Range: The Fox Illusion sends you across a far horizontal distance and cuts
through opponents. You can control the distance incrementally by pressing "B"
again as you are moving when you want to stop.
Start Time: Large for Fox. Obviously not a melee move.
Lag Time: A little lag at the end as Fox steadies himself
Knockback: Below average; sends opponents into the air
Total frames: 63
Fox starts moving away: 21
Hit frames: 22-25
Time to press B and stop Fox: 20-24
Can grab edge as early as frame 29
Land lag: 20
Land fall special lag: 3
This move sends Fox towards the opponent at a blindingly fast (albeit low-
priority) speed. The Illusion is a good surprise move for unwary players or
even as an escape method, but be aware that it begins with a significant start-
up animation lag time, and it ends with lag, as well. Be sure to position your-
self while using this move to land far enough away from your opponent to com-
pensate for the lag. Hitting "B" as you are moving shortens the Illusion incre-
mentally. Also, the Illusion is the preferred means of recovery if you are
level with the stage; it is surprising how many easy KO's a Mario or Dr. Mario
can score with a quick flip of his Cape on a Fire Fox recovery (this recovery
can also be Caped with good timing, so be wary). With good timing (and the aid
of the distinctive "ping" sound made at the start of the Illusion), an opposing
Fox or Falco can shine you out of this, but should they miss, they will be sent
flailing into the air where you can return the edgeguarding favor with a back-
aerial or a lethal up-aerial. Remember also that this attack, even though its
actual execution speed is fast, carries very little priority itself. Even a
precisely-timed jab or tilt can cut through it and stun or kill you.
The Illusion can function as a means of escape, a recovery move, a follow-up
to mind games, or as a way to keep opponents on their toes. Mix this move in
at long distance with the Blaster and stir in some melee attacks to keep your
foe guessing, and use it frequently enough so as to remind your foe to listen
for the distinctive "ping" sound as the move begins lest you pop them into the
air. Another use is to eliminate dash-dancing, especially against characters
with more lag on the ground. It is difficult to follow this move with anything
very consistently due to its ending lag time, so do not expect it to be a very
good starter for combos. You have shuffled sex kicks, the shine, and the up-
throw among other things to begin your combos.
Do not spam this move, obviously; it has both pre- and post-move lag to it, in
addition to a verbal cue (the distinctive "ping" sound) and a relatively low
ability to be comboed out of, which is obviously the backbone of most of your
plans as Fox. In a nut shell, use it sparingly, and try as you progress to
phase it out of your game. You will find that you will play far faster and more
unpredictably without it. Your primary use for the Illusion is obviously as an
alternate (often preferrable) recovery move to the Fire Fox, but you can also
use it to add a certain element of innovation to your gameplay and also as a
surprise means of escape from tight situations.
Fox can also stall infinitely on the ledge with his Illusion. First, you must
of course be hanging on a ledge. Next, press back (away from the stage) on the
control stick or C-stick. Now, you must quickly hit toward and B to activate
your Illusion as close to the ledge as possible (note that being very close to
the edge is essential to executing this technique correctly as you must cut
down on your frames spent away from the ledge in order not to lose your invin-
cibility frames). When performed correctly, this will allow you an innovative
means to stall on the ledge if you so desire. However, this technique is some-
what more difficult (if not impossible) on some of the more awkward locales in
the game, such as Battlefield's unnervingly small ledges. Fox's Firefox stalls
overall are far more versatile than the Illusion stall, but that should not
stop you from trying to add a little spice to your Fox's technical gameplay
every now and then.
Fire Fox
Button: Up tilt + B
Damage: 7-14%, plus more depending on how much the starting flames hit.
Speed: Medium
Priority: Medium-low
Range: Pretty long; good enough to be Fox's principal recovery move
Start Time: Medium-length beginning time as Fox charges up
Lag Time: Very, very little once you land.
Knockback: Average
Total frames: 92
Hit frames: 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 43-72
Other data:
-When to aim: 42
-Can grab edge during first part as early as 16
-Can grab edge during moving part as early as 73 (if firing straight into
a wall, if you go downward at the edge, Fox will stop firing to grab it)
-Grabs edges from both sides
-Land lag: 6
-Land fall special lag: 3
Fox's other means of recovery, the Fire Fox is a bit of a gamble to use since
it can be Caped and edge-guarded pretty easily, not to mention that its
priority enables many attacks to plow right through it; a player well-versed in
timing can even grab you out of it, assuming that they are positioned correct-
ly. Regardless, the Fire Fox has considerable range and is more versatile than
the Fox Illusion as a recovery move. You should try to aim for the edge of the
stage most often with this move to compensate for its relatively low priority,
but watch for your foe to perform a reverse short-hop or a reverse wavedash to
an edgehog; obviously, your aiming for the ledge then will lead to a loss of
one of your stocks. It is your call on whether to aim for the ledge or above
it, but always keep in mind the Fire Fox's vulnerability to other attacks and
the possibility of a Caping by Mario or Dr. Mario (on a side note, Dr. Mario's
White Sheet extends slightly below the stage, so be wary of this as you recover
in a match against him). Whichever route you take, do not aim it straight at
your foe. Unless they are spaced out at the moment, they can and will cut
through your Fire Fox with a properly-timed attack, which is not exactly a very
difficult task. Indeed, the default response of many opponents once they see
you charging the Fire Fox is to time a forward-smash or other such attack with
the Fire Fox's charge time; should you aim straight for them, you have probably
lost your stock right there, and if you did not choose to aim at them in that
instance, they still have the option of chasing you through the air or antici-
pating your landing point and dealing with you there. Your best responses to
such tactics are 1) to vary your recoveries (even Fire Foxing when level with
your opponent if you can condition them always to anticipate an Illusion when
you are level with them) and 2) to use DI while falling from an upward Fire
Fox to curve in and out, sometimes away (as you would do to grab the edge from
your fall and avoid anything your opponent throws at you from the ledge, for
the most part) and sometimes toward. Again, you must use a combination of
variation and repetition for the most unpredictability in your recovery.
The structure of certain stages can aid your ability to sweet-spot the ledge
with the Fire Fox without rising above the ledge itself. Stages with smoothed
or sloped ends, such as Final Destination and Dream Land, can use up some of
the forward momentum of your Fire Fox and enable you to grab the ledge without
rising above it and making yourself far more vulnerable than you would like to
be. For example, you are playing on Final Destination and are knocked off the
left side of the stage. You use your second jump and activate your Fire Fox
when you are a small distance below and to the left of the edge (a south-west
position, in essence). You need to recover to the stage, but do not want to
open yourself to your foe by rising above him or the stage. What you would do
in this case is aim the trajectory of your Fire Fox at a slight upwards angle
into the side of Final Destination. Thanks to its smoothed sides, the stage
will use up the Fire Fox's forward momentum and thus shorten its traveling
distance, enabling you to rise up to the ledge and grab it. You can then return
to the stage safely and without worry of opening yourself to your opponent by
rising above the stage. You can use this same technique to rise upwards and
slightly over the ledge by decreasing your trajectory towards the stage by a
small amount; this will cause the stage's side to use up less forward momentum
and make you poke slightly over the ledge in your Fire Fox. It is your call
when to use either of these two methods, but you must still be wary of Capings
(particularly by Dr. Mario) and enemy down-tilts. Note that this same technique
may also be used against flat-sided surfaces, although obviously with a change
in the angle of the Fire Fox.
There are a few rather situational tricks that you can pull with the Fire Fox,
too. You can perform a "levitating" Fire Fox, using the move while jumping from
a run. You will float towards the enemy while engulfed in flames, catching them
on the embers and hitting them with the upstroke of the move. This is situa-
tional, however; it should only be used if the opponent is assured of returning
to the stage in order to add on damage. For mind games, jump and Fire Fox your-
self into the ground at a sharp angle. You will bounce at an equally sharp
angle and land either behind your enemy or directly in front of him. In either
case, make use of the Fire Fox's virtually nonexistent recovery time and up-
smash or shine them (another rather situational tactic).
There are also a couple of infinite stalling tricks with the Fire Fox, but they
do require some quick coordination on your part. The first variation is a
simple stand-alone Firefox stall on an edge. To do this, you must first be
grabbing the ledge. You then press back to fall away from the edge but
immediately cancel your backwards momentum by quickly performing a Fire Fox. If
done correctly, you will grab the ledge again immediately after the Fire Fox's
start-up and thus be given the temporary invincibility that grabbing a ledge
provides. Another method of performing this tactic is dropping straight down
from the edge (not away from it) and jumping again immediately after,
activating your Firefox when you feel that you are even again with the ledge
(you should not hear Fox's second jump sound effect, ideally); you will grab
the ledge again and can repeat as needed. If you do either of these methods
quickly enough, you can stall for the rest of the match, but it takes very good
coordination and is rather situational to boot; in addition, most tournaments
ban this sort of stalling trick (Peach's "wall-bombing" is another example of a
stalling trick). It is possible for your foe to counter this tactic by somehow
grabbing the ledge, possibly by a reverse wavedash or reverse short-hop, but if
you do it quickly enough, this will not be possible.
Another flashier variation on the above tactic is incorporating a jump-canceled
shine before your Firefox. This has been dubbed the "ShineStall" by SWF's
TheCape and the "Infinite Lube Stall" by SWF's noob-lube69. The general idea is
the same as above, that is, you must drop from the ledge to begin the stall.
However, after dropping, you then shine and jump-cancel that into your Firefox
which will allow you to grab the ledge again and continue the cycle. In effect,
you will create a veritable wall of damaging flames and shine-spikes that can
make it nigh impossible for many characters to return safely without being tied
up by your flames or getting shine-spiked right at the ledge.
Although situational, both of the above stalls have their own applications that
can come in handy in certain match-ups, largely dealing with stalling through
recoveries and attempts to sweet-spot. For example, should a returning Marth
attempt to sweet-spot, simply stall on the ledge with the Firefox and by the
time that he has used his up+B, you will still be invincible and will be
holding onto the ledge, causing the Marth to fall to his doom and netting you a
stock. Stalling on the ledge also forces your opponents to go above you for
their recoveries; you should then be able to predict accordingly where they
will be heading and send them out yet again, if not for that stock's final
time.
Reflector
Button: Down tilt + B
Damage: 5%
Speed: Highest possible (1 frame, or 1/60 of a second)
Priority: Very high
Range: Close-range, but reaches out a bit on either side of Fox with slightly
more range on the back end.
Start Time: Instantaneous
Lag Time: Again, if you reflect something or don't jump-cancel it, the
Reflector has a small amount of lag time.
Knockback: A set distance for each character (dependant on traction)
Total frames: 39 (or more)
Hits on frame: 1
Reflects: 4-(release+1)
Jump cancel-able: 4-(release+1)
Lag upon release: 19
(Shield) Hit lag: 3
Reflection lag: 19
Other data:
-Stun time for each character:
The second number is if they "land." It happens always from an aerial re-
flector and sometimes from a land one if it hits their back.
Captain Falcon: 33...9
Donkey Kong: 33...10
Fox: falls
Kirby: falls
Mr. Game and Watch: falls
Bowser: 32...11
Link: 33...9
Luigi: 34...11-9 (much more likely)
Mario: 34...9
Marth: 35...9
Mewtwo: falls
Ness: 34...9
Peach: 35...9
If you Reflector the first frame in the air from a jump, you will fall
enough to jump-cancel from the ground on frame 6. So a cycle could take as
little as 8 frames.
Here it is, the fourth, deadliest, and most powerful member of Fox's most
feared moves. Contrary to beginning-player belief, the vulpine's Reflector is
not used solely to deflect projectiles, although that is a big part of it. By
now, those inexperienced smashers must be thinking, "What can you possibly do
with this crazy thing other than reflect stuff?" The list goes on and on and
on; this move more than any other sets Fox apart from his wing mate Falco (and
virtually every other character) in the tiers. An entire section will be
devoted to the uses of this powerful move, which include winning priority
wars, killing at very low percentages, destroying your foe's plans of
projectile spamming, setting up for a combo, and the infamous infinite shine
techniques (Fox's Reflector is affectionately known as the "shine" in the
Smash community; ask any seasoned player and they will know what it is). The
insanity increases once you master L-cancelling, fast-falling, and wavedashing,
all of which will be discussed later. To start, know that you can cut the
Reflector animation short by simply jumping up out of it and that you can
turn around while in the Reflector (the use of this will be shown later). If
have read most of everything up to this point and have a good grasp of the
terminology of SSBM, you have already been exposed to a great deal of what the
shine can do. The exclusive shine section, however, delves even deeper into the
uses of this exceedingly powerful move.
6. The Physics of Fox
Don't let the word "physics" scare you; it simply refers to each character's
innate weight, traction, falling speed, and other similar properties.
Obviously, Fox, being the little guy that he is, can be killed easily and
quickly while in inexperienced hands. Players who have not mastered his more
advanced techniques tend to spam one or two moves, and wonder why their button
mashing leads them to repeatedly Illusioning themselves off the stage. The
truth is, Fox can be very difficult to KO effectively. He is a fast-faller,
one of a few characters, including Falco and Captain Falcon, who fall at an
accelerated rate compared to the other fighters. This can work for or against
you. If Fox is knocked upwards, his fast falling may allow you to live for
another hit or two. On the other hand, if Fox goes flying horizontally too
far, he will plummet out of reach of the ledge, which chances are your
opponent will be hanging onto. You can increase Fox's falling speed by holding
down on the Control Stick at the peak of his relatively short jump (a "fast-
fall"). Experienced players use Fox's fast-falling to their advantage,
plummeting quickly to earth to avoid being juggled and greatly increase their
comboing speed. As a Fox player, you must acquaint yourself with using his
fast, jerky moves in order to increase your already blinding speed. Once you
can implement the more advanced aspects of Fox into your game, such as L-can-
celing, fast-falling, short-hopping, and wavedashing, you will not be surprised
when you can get an opponent well above 100% (or remove a stock) within the
first 30 seconds of the match. If you do not know yet, Fox is overall the
fastest character in the game, and his speed will let you live for quite a
while if used properly.
Below are tons of statistics pertaining to Fox and virtually everything that
he does (note that 1 frame = 1/60 of a second; thus, there are 60 frames in a
second). I give an immeasurably huge amount of thanks to Mew2King and those
who helped him for finding, recording, and compiling all of these statistics
and many, many, many more. Thanks a lot, Mew2King and co.; this section could
not exist without you guys. Thanks are also in order for SuperDoodleMan for his
frame data cited below each respective move in the above sections as well as
his contributions here in the form of frame data for Fox's ledge maneuvers,
jump, air- and ground-dodges, roll, dash-to-run frames, and turn-jump
threshold.
Ground Dodge Rating: 63.6363...%; 14/22 frames; dodge starts on second frame;
invulnerable 2-15 out of 22 [SDM]. RANKING: Best in game (among others)
Air Dodge Rating: Starting Time: 3 frames. Invincible Time: 26 frames (frames
4-29); invulnerable 4-29 out of 49 frames [SDM]. RANKING: Same as every other
character except Peach, Zelda, and Bowser.
Roll Rating (both rolls): 51.612903225806451%; 16/31 frames; both rolls start
on fourth frame; Invulnerable 4-19 out of 31 frames [SDM]. RANKING: Group C,
third best in game (among others).
Clobbering Item Attack Starting Speed (Beam Sword, Home Run Bat, Lip's Stick,
and Star Rod): A-5 frames; forward tilt + A-12 frames; dash A-6 frames
Item Throwing Speed: A/Forward + A-7 frames; Back + A-7 frames; Up + A-6
frames; Down + A-5 frames; Aerial A/Aerial Forward + A- 6 frames; Aerial Back
+ A-7 frames; Aerial Up + A-6 frames; Aerial Down + A-6 frames; Dash + A-4
frames. RANKING: Best in game (among others)
Fire Flower and Ray Gun Shooting Speed Starting Time: 10 frames. RANKING:
Group C, third best in game (among others)
Home Run Bat Smash Attack Speed: 30 frames. RANKING: Group G, seventh best in
game (among others)
Running Stopping Speed: 18 frames. RANKING: Best in game along with Falco.
Running Turning Speed: 30 frames. RANKING: 16th in game.
Item Pick-up Speed (using A): Pick-up Speed: 2 frames. Total Time: 7 frames.
RANKING: Best in game (among others)
Barrel, Crate, and Party Ball Pick-Up Speed: 24th in game
Weight: 75. Weight measures how far characters are knocked horizontally.
Mario = 100 (average). RANKING: 22nd heaviest.
Walking Speed: 1st in game.
Running Speed: 2nd in game.
Falling Speed: 3rd highest in game. Fox has the highest acceleration speed
while falling.
Fast-fall Falling Speed: 48. RANKING: 3rd fastest in game.
Traction Rating: 237 (69.3%). RANKING: 12th in game.
Wavedash Length: 13th farthest in game.
Ducking Rating: 17th in game.
Crate Carrying Speed: 26th (slowest) in game.
Landing Recovery Time From a Jump: 4 frames. RANKING: Group B, second best in
game (among others).
Jumping Speed: 4 frames. RANKING: Best in game (among others). Every second
jump takes 1 frame. [SDM] Airborne on frame 4; air time: 35 frames; earliest
fast-fall: 18; fast-fall air time: 27 frames; short-hop air time: 21 frames;
earliest fast-fall: 12; short-hop fast-fall air time: 15; second jump earliest
fast-fall: 21.
First Jump Height: 7th in game.
Second Jump Height: 6th in game.
Total Jump Height: 6th in game.
Shield Release Recovery Time: 15 frames. RANKING: Group B, second best in
game (among others)
Ledge Attack Horizontal Range (0-99%): 4th in game.
Ledge Attack Power (0-99%): 8% (6% at close-range). RANKING: Group C, third
best in game (among others)
Ledge Attack Power (100-999%): 8%. RANKING: Group D, fourth best in game
(among others)
Ledge stand (<100%): Total frames: 34. Invincible frames: 1-30.
Ledge stand (>100%): Total frames: 59. Invincible frames: 1-55.
Ledge roll (<100%): Total frames: 49. Invincible frames: 1-34.
Ledge roll (>100%): Total frames: 79. Invincible frames: 1-62.
Ledge attack (<100%): Total frames: 54. Invulnerable frames: 1-21. Hit frames:
25-34.
Ledge attack (>100%): Total frames: 69. Invulnerable frames: 1-53. Hit frames:
57-59.
Ledge jump (<100%): Total frames: 51. Invulnerable frames: 1-14. Soonest fast-
fall: 34.
Ledge jump (>100%): Total frames: 51. Invincible frames: 1-19. Soonest fast-
fall: 39.
Horizontal Aerial Moving Speed: 26th (slowest) in game.
Horizontal Aerial Falling Distance: 25th in game.
Super Scope Shot Rapidness: One shot every 6 frames; 10 shots per second;
lasts 5-6 seconds if shot nonstop. RANKING: Group A, best in game (among
others)
Rapid Attack Speed: 7 frames apart in rapid A (last hit takes 8 frames)
between a set of 5 kicks. Total time until set of hits repeats: 36 frames.
Average speed: 7.2 frames apart, 8 1/3 hits per second.
Blaster Schematics: 10 frames apart; the first shot is 12 frames (exactly 6
shots per second). Aerial blaster shots are also 10 frames apart; the first
shot is 10 frames.
Grabbing Range (Relative approximations): 12th in game.
Grabbing Release Power: 2% (this is how much damage a character receives when
he or she escapes your grab due to another character hitting you)
Grabbing Speed: Grab-7 frames. Total Time-30 frames. Dash Grab-12 frames.
Total Time-40 frames.
Grab-Attack Starting Speed: 5 frames. RANKING: 2nd in game (among others)
Horizontal Projectile Speed Rating: 1st among selectable characters.
Projectile Lasting Time: 34 frames. RANKING: 3rd shortest in game.
Forward/Backward Throw Power Rating: Forward: 28th place. Backward: 50th
place. Both rankings are out of 61.
Vertical Throw Power Rating: 18th place. Ranking is out of 30.
Forward Smash Rating: 22nd place.
Fully-charged Forward Smash Rating: 21st place.
Dash becomes run at frame 12.
Turn-jump threshold: 17.
Fox's Shine Distance along the Ground
If your opponent is holding no direction, then their own weight and traction
determine how far the shine will send them. If they are holding down, their
distance will be shortened, and they will stay on their feet.
Character No Direction Holding Down
Dr. Mario............13 ft.............6 ft
Mario................13 ft.............6 ft
Luigi................33 ft............15 ft
Bowser...............12 ft.............5 ft
Peach.................8 ft.............4 ft
Yoshi................12 ft.............6 ft
Donkey Kong...........9 ft.............4 ft
Captain Falcon........9 ft.............4 ft
Ganondorf............10 ft.............5 ft
Falco................----..............5 ft
Fox..................----..............5 ft
Ness.................14 ft.............6 ft
Ice Climbers.........25 ft............11 ft
Kirby................----..............6 ft
Samus................12 ft.............5 ft
Zelda.................8 ft.............4 ft
Shiek................10 ft.............5 ft
Link..................7 ft.............3 ft
Young Link...........----..............5 ft
Pichu................----..............5 ft
Pikachu..............----..............4 ft
Jigglypuff...........----..............5 ft
Mewtwo...............----.............10 ft
Mr. Game and Watch...----..............8 ft
Marth................15 ft.............7 ft
Roy..................----..............7 ft
---- = Character will fall to the ground.
All tests were done on Final Destination. Other surfaces and/or inclines will
affect distances.
Credits: element_of_fire for making this list.
II. Advanced Techniques
A. Introduction
The Smash community regards Fox McCloud as the most difficult character to
master at high levels of play. His unparalleled speed, incredibly fast jump
time (4 frames, or 1/15 of a second), and fast-paced controls can push even
the most skilled Melee player to the limit. Although Fox's basic moves are
powerful when combined with his speed, it is his advanced aspects that make
him such a powerful character. The following techniques form the basis of
nearly everything that the vulpine can do, and they can also be applied for the
most part to every other character with slight adjustments for timing. In this
section, you will learn how to perform these critical techniques and how to
apply them to your game. Once you have mastered them, you will quickly see why
many players hold Fox in such high esteem. With his controls and these tech-
niques well under your fingers, your Fox will become a potent, unstoppable (and
admittedly show-offy) force.
1. L-Canceling
What it is: Cutting short the recovery animation of an aerial attack, allowing
you quickly to begin another attack.
How to do it: Press L, R, or Z ("L" for most players) when landing from an
aerial "A" attack. Specifically, you "land" when you begin to see dust clouds
forming around your character's feet. Pressing L, R, or Z at this time will
stop the recovery animation and return your fighter to his or her fighting
stance, ready to launch another attack. Again, keep in mind that L-canceling is
only applicable to aerial "A" attacks, not special "B" attacks. In addition,
remember that in order to get the cleanest L-cancel possible, you may have to
press your canceling button of choice extremely slightly before your character
hits the ground, particularly if you are fast-falling your aerial of choice.
This is to compensate for the small amount of time that you spend in actually
pressing the button itself; you will find that at high-level play, even a few
frames here and there can be of great importance to your character's well-
being, as well as your win-loss ratio.
Uses: L-canceling is the defining technique for high-level Melee players.
Using it will greatly speed up your character and open many doors to comboing.
In combination with the lightning-quick Fox, L-canceling can be downright
deadly.
So many uses exist for L-canceling that it is nearly impossible to name them
all. Of course, the technique's primary use is to cut off the lag time after
an aerial attack. You will quickly notice whether you have done the technique
correctly; it is most noticeable with Link's Sword Plant (his down-aerial),
which has massive recoil lag as Link yanks his sword from the ground. Bowser's
back-aerial also possesses a tremendous amount of lag when not L-canceled
correctly as Bowser tilts himself back onto his feet. If you are unsure whether
you are L-canceling correctly, try it first with these characters' moves and
then move on to Fox's naturally fast moves. As you progress to higher levels of
play, you will find that you can easily pick out missed L-cancels even with
someone as fast as Fox; indeed, these missed cancels can often decide an entire
stock, or even the match itself.
L-canceling also factors into an immensely powerful technique (and with Fox, an
essential one) named "shuffling," which stands for "short-hop, fast-fall, L-
cancel." Shuffling broken down appears as such:
1) Short-hop with X, Y, or the control stick
2) Your choice of an aerial "A" attack
3) Fast-fall by pressing down on the control stick at the peak of your short-
hop (critical for proper shuffling to reduce empty air time and to allow a fast
flow into the L-cancel)
4) L-cancel (pressed earlier than you would at first think to compensate for
Fox's extremely quick fast-fall)
With the aid of shuffling, you can string together moves you never could other-
wise and open even more options for attack. In fact, a lack of shuffling with
Fox costs you your two chief approaches, both of which are capable in them-
selves of comboing into Jabs, waveshines to up-smashes or grabs, and even tran-
sitions into infinites. For techniques and combos involving shuffling and L-
canceling, see the description text under each of Fox's respective aerial "A"
moves in section one.
2. Wavedashing
What it is: An unorthodox method of movement in which you "glide" along the
ground. While in this movement, you can use all of your attacks. With most
characters, wavedashing is as fast as running.
How to do it: Air-dodge diagonally into the ground immediately after jumping.
The game converts your motion in the air to horizontal motion, resulting in a
strange movement where you essentially "glide" across the ground in a cloud of
dust. Try it first with Luigi in Training Mode, set on a slow speed (start with
2/3 or 1/3 if you need to). You will know you did it correctly when you see
Luigi go sailing smoothly along the ground. Once you are comfortable with the
technique, move on to Fox. Note, however, that Fox jumps much faster than
Luigi does, so you will need fast fingers to wavedash correctly (if you wait
slightly too long with Fox to dodge into the ground, you'll do what is called
a triangle jump, a variant of wavedashing which has its own uses and merits
and will be discussed later). All told, the sequence of button inputs for a
wavedash reads as follows:
1) Jump with X, Y, or the control stick
2) Air-dodge
3) Position your air-dodge at an angle into the ground using the control stick;
it is the angle at which you put the control stick for the air-dodge that de-
termines the length of your character's wavedash.
Uses: The wavedash is another member of the group of advanced tactics that
make Fox such a powerful character. With this technique, you open a wealth of
options for mind games, one of the vulpine's specialties, and even some
possibilities for comboing.
Most players use wavedashing for "offensive defensive" movement, essentially.
While wavedashing, you are able to use any attack as if you were still
standing on the ground. This allows you to cover your retreats with fast Jabs
and Straights or even Fox Tails or up-smashes if you are feeling particularly
evil. If you want, you can drive your foes further back with forward
wavedashing, and then sprint away and blaster spam them to higher percentages.
During close battle, you can wavedash backwards to avoid an incoming strike
and then immediately wavedash forward into an up-smash, Fox Tail, or other
pre-juggling move. You can also edge-hog using wavedashing by wavedashing off
the edge facing towards the ledge. Fox will immediately grab the ledge; this
is far faster than doing a normal backwards jump to grab the ledge and is very
useful, so use it well. Wavedashing is also used for spacing and positioning;
for example, you can wavedash back from an opponent's advance to space
correctly and then answer with a down-tilt, forward-smash, or something of the
like. This is very handy for opponents who tend to get too aggressive, almost
to the point of blindly launching attacks and not thinking of their foe's
possible answers.
Wavedashing is also a very handy tool in the ever-important mind games depart-
ment. Especially with a fast faller and jumper like Fox, the strange movement
that wavedashing grants you can be used to fake out your opponent and make them
flinch, allowing you to rush in unopposed and do some serious damage. The most
common way to do this is to run as quickly as possible at your opponent, making
it seem as if you are making a hasty, poorly planned attack. When they wind up
an attack to smack you, the proverbial baseball, away from them, immediately
wavedash backwards. While they are still in the lag, wavedash or run forwards
(if running, you might need to fox trot, yet another technique that will be
discussed later) and hit them with any attack; a jump-canceled up-smash works
wonders as a powerful punisher in such instances. A fast dash-grab or jump-can-
celed grab is also an effective choice. Once you learn how to work with wave-
dashing and its myriad of mind games, you should observe every character's
moves and memorize what their start-up frames look like. If your eyes are fast
enough, you can see what attack your enemy is about to use during your headlong
dash and determine its lag time and how much time you will have to hit them
back.
Wavedashing is also used to combat L-canceling. If an opponent comes down on
you with an aerial attack and L-cancels it, you are not given enough time to
hit back. Wavedashing solves this. If you see your enemy about to use an
aerial attack on your head, wavedash to either side before they land. This
will clear you of their attack and let you hit them back. Be sure not to
triangle jump, as that usually will not move you far enough away to avoid
being hit.
Wavedashing in combos is not entirely necessary, but does show that you have
some serious skill. Players do this to position themselves better for follow-
up strikes. The idea behind this is that since every character's start-up dash
animation has some amount of lag to it, you can wavedash instead to move
instantly and continue attacking, useful for such things as properly
positioning yourself for that properly-timed up-smash that will lead to more
juggling. On a side note, wavedashing is an essential part to reaching the
epitome of Fox technical skill; it is a member of the feared "infinite shine"
combos. In theory, a flawless player could do one of these forever (up to
999%). In order to be truly infinite, however, you would need either to invert
the process (since no stage extends forever) via a method known appropriately
enough as the inverse infinite shine or start an infinite next to a suitable
wall to keep your opponent pinned. More than anything, the infinite shine
combos are the vulpine's greatest chance to flaunt his technical abilities as
well as your own, but a majority of Fox players find that his other advanced
techniques are far more practical in battle and still carry the power and
synergy needed to take home a victory. Regardless, being able to wield an in-
finite or two can do nothing more than improve your game and give you yet
another tool with which to take off stocks; as such, the final part of the
shine-exclusive section examines Fox's infinites in deeper detail, providing
analysis and instructions on each of them.
3. Shield-grabbing
What it is: Simply put, it is grabbing out of your shield.
How to do it: While in a shield, simply press A. This causes your character to
grab directly out of his or her shield without having to take the time to lower
it.
Uses: This technique is simple to do and extremely useful. Indeed, this tech-
nique in itself separates the low-level Smash players from the intermediate; it
limits your opponent's options and forces him or her to know how to L-cancel,
fast-fall, space, and follow up correctly since if he does not (particularly
with L-canceling), you can shield his attack and then quickly shield-grab him.
Once grabbed, you follow up with the usual up-throw to up-smashes, up-aerials,
and up-tilts as you see fit, tacking on easy (and at times significant) damage.
Know this technique well, and use it whenever at all possible.
4. Short-hopping
What it is: As the name implies, it is hopping a small distance above the
ground.
How to do it: There are two ways to short-hop: with the control stick and with
the X/Y buttons. I suggest you begin with the X/Y buttons. To short-hop with
them, you must tap the button extremely quickly and release just as quickly.
The game judges whether or not you short-hop based on how long your finger
stays on the button, not on how much force you put into pressing it. Thus, you
must be able to get your finger (probably your thumb) off of your button of
choice very, very quickly or flick the control stick as quickly as possible.
Common opinion holds that it is easier to fast-fall if you short-hop with X or
Y.
Short-hopping with the control stick is a bit more complicated. It works best
while in a run since you already have the stick tilted towards where it needs
to go for you to short-hop. To short-hop with the control stick, you must move
it with more than a little bit of pressure at a slight angle above the respec-
tive side angle of the shape around the stick. You can fast-fall also if you
quickly snap down the stick from its short-hopping position, but watch your
timing. You can also short-hop from a standstill position, but it requires an
awkward position and movement of the control stick; overall, it is much easier
to short-hop using X and Y. Again, remember that short-hopping is judged based
on how quickly you release your jumping mechanism of choice; as such, do your
best to flick the control stick as required by your short-hop to give yourself
greatest chance at pulling off the short-hop.
Uses: Short-hopping is used strictly for comboing, or at times for edge-
guarding and Fox’s short-hop laser, or SHL (see later on in this section). The
idea is that if you jump a shorter distance off the ground, you can get to the
ground far faster than from a normal jump and then execute another attack in a
shorter amount of time. All told, short-hopping functions in edge-grabbing
(short-hopping off-stage to grab the ledge, also accomplished by wavedashing),
comboing (as a member of the shuffling technique), and even in mind games, to
a certain extent ("empty" short-hops and short-hops after which you wavedash
backwards are examples of this).
5. Dash-canceling
What it is: Canceling the forward movement of your dash by crouching, allowing
you to fake out the opponent or use an attack other than your running attack at
a moment's notice.
How to do it: While dashing, simply crouch (press down on the control stick).
This will slow or completely stop your forward movement.
Uses: Though certainly not as versatile as L-canceling or short-hopping,
dash-canceling does have its merits. Mastery of this technique with Fox will
give you more options to mess with your opponent's head and his game, in
addition to allowing you to utilize your ground attacks in a faster manner,
therefore increasing the amount of pressure you can apply with your onslaught.
One of dash-canceling's uses is in mind games, especially with a fast runner
like Fox. You can charge headlong towards your opponent, effectively feigning
a hasty, random, almost last-ditch attack. However, when you see the start-up
frames of their retaliatory attack or anticipate such an attack, you can dash-
cancel your dash and end up directly in front of them (spaced as necessary, of
course), ready for a long-distance down-tilt to sweep them into the air, or a
powerful forward smash, or, if you are really daring, a down-smash underneath
their shield. You can also dash-cancel so as to position your opponent in the
furthest possible effective diameter of Fox's up-smash. If you can pull this
off, the up-smash should plow through their defenses, out-prioritizing their
retaliatory strike and sending them airborne. Keep in mind only to do this if
you see or anticipate them going into their own attack; otherwise, your oppo-
nent will shield the effective moment of the up-smash and shield-grab you or
otherwise space you out with a forward-smash from a reverse wavedash or some-
thing of the like. Speaking of shield-grabbing, you can use dash-canceling to
trick your foe into putting himself into a shield, thinking he is ready to grab
you out of your dash. What a surprise awaits him, however, when you screech to
a halt out of range of his grab and ready to sprint forward into your own grab.
A more situational use of dash-canceling is to interrupt the opponent's own
dash with a down-tilt or forward-smash in Melee's version of chicken. If you
find yourself hurtling towards your enemy who is also flying towards you, dash-
cancel your dash and quickly judge the distance between yourself and your
enemy. Then sweep them off their feet with a down-tilt or simply roll over them
with a forward-smash. You can also run through your opponent to his backside,
dash-cancel, and then forward-smash or dash attack in the opposite direction
(especially handy should your opponent be in his or her shield since many
players' natural reaction to an enemy behind them is to short-hop out of the
shield with a back-aerial). A dash attack connected here could very well lead
to fatal juggling or a lethal up-smash.
Dash-canceling is also used to allow ground attacks at fast speeds. Normally,
you can only use ground attacks while standing still, walking, or wavedashing.
Dash-canceling allows you to use your dash to get to the enemy and then
quickly launch into a ground attack once you have reached him. You can use this
to apply continuous pressure to the other guy, hunting him down incessantly
with the fox's fast running and then dash-canceling into any attack you wish,
whether it is a simple Jab to throw them off their feet, a down-tilt to prep
them for juggling, or an up-smash for the killer blow. Note that a wavedash at
the end of a dash (spaced correctly from your opponent and where you anticipate
your wavedash to put you) also provides the same general effect.
6. Crouch-canceling
What it is: Crouching (holding down on the control stick) when you are hit,
increasing your defenses and greatly reducing the attack's normal knockback and
stun.
How to do it: Hold down on the control stick when hit or while being hit.
Uses: Fox isn't exactly the bulkiest or heftiest of characters; therefore, his
natural tendency is to be knocked off of the stage very easily and frequently.
Crouch-canceling partly solves that problem. With it, you can increase the
vulpine's resilience to enemy strikes and greatly increase his lifespan. When
coupled with Fox's already outstanding evasion abilities, crouch-canceling can
keep you in the game more than long enough to hit back and finish your foe.
However, be careful with crouch-canceling around ledges; granted, it can poten-
tially save you from a strike meant to get you off-stage, but on certain moves,
the downwards DI of the crouch-cancel can in fact amplify the effects of that
move and make it even more difficult for you to return (keep in mind your fast-
falling) and at times can even cost you a stock.
Crouch-canceling is more situational than anything; if you are hit, hold down
on the control stick to reduce the knockback, plain and simple. The only
practical technique you can use with crouch canceling is what has been dubbed
the "crouch-cancel counter," or "CCC," which conveniently works quite well with
Fox. What this triple-consonant acronym means is using an attack out of your
crouch-cancel to take advantage of your own reduction in received stun time and
knock-back and your opponent's lag from his or her connecting hit. A down-tilt
as a counter works wonders to prep for juggling or an up-smash; a quick up-
smash is also a potentially-lethal option; even shines and Jabs from crouch-
cancels are problematic for opponents and can lead to their usual well-known
follow-ups.
7. Dash-dancing
What it is: Constantly turning around in the start-up animation of your dash,
allowing you to quickly jet in either direction at any time you choose.
How to do it: Quickly tap the control stick back and forth; you should see Fox
as if he is split between running in two separate directions, his head
appearing in one direction and then disappearing quickly only to reappear
facing the other.
Uses: Dash-dancing functions in mind games for the most part but can also add
fluidity and a certain sense of preparedness to your game. Since dash-dancing
allows you to jet off in any direction at any time, you can frequently use it
to fake out the opponent or prepare yourself for the direction of your foe's
directional influence if you knock them to a certain height.
Nothing in the world is funnier than the look on someone's face when they first
see you dash-dancing. To them, it will appear as though you are just randomly
hitting towards and away on the control stick and creating a screwed-up
animation. Little do they know that you have something else up your sleeve. You
can slightly vary the lengths of your