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Make Your Move 13 - Most Recent Movesets: The Advertisement Period Begins

peeup

Smash Lord
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Messages
1,618
Location
Hartford/Mass
Straight up honesty, I totally might forget all about MYM in like a day. But I'd like to have the attention span to stay haha.
 

Davidreamcatcha

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
629
Never can be -too- fashionably late...

Snow Miser
Snow Miser is one of the central characters from the classic Christmas flick The Year Without a Santa Claus. One half of the infamous Miser Brothers, he is constantly at war with his brother Heat Miser. He is shown to be in control of all the winter weather in the world - while he wishes to spread snow to the south as the heroes request, he is at first opposed by Heat Miser's ridiculous demand for control of the North Pole territory. Like his brother, however, Snow Miser is much more of a trickster than an actual thread.

Like his brother, Snow Miser appears via the Assist Trophy - but doesn't exactly assist his summoner. Upon appearing, Snow Miser makes his way to the left side of the stage, maneuvering around and above any obstacles - doing so at Mario's dash speed. As soon as he can move no more, he stands still as the music changes to this song. The Luigi-sized Snow Miser sings along with his parts as well, as expected. If this is a scrolling/moving stage, Snow Miser creates an icy platform below himself, wide enough to hold him and all his minions.

Six minions (who appear to be miniature versions of him) spawn on both sides of him - 3 to each side. They will dance away/towards Snow Miser the entire time they're around ala the 0:32 mark in the video. Each minion has 10% stamina - and one will reappear 10 seconds later if destroyed. Getting rid of all of his minions will cause Snow Miser to leave early, as he only disappears on his own if the song ends. Snow Miser will replenish eventually, of course, meaning you need to have good timing - as all six minions must be KOed when it's time for them to sing a line. Should this come up, Snow Miser will hold his head in anger before disappearing in a sudden burst of snow.

As expected, if you launch an attack towards the minion, Snow Miser will retaliate. Snow Miser will throw a snowball that is comparable to Waddle Dee Toss in both lag/range. While the projectile is smaller, Snow Miser tosses it at the foe automatically without it being wildly off course. This places a freezie effect on whoever comes in contact with it (it only lasts half the duration of a normal freezie effect). He will only use 2 per second, but it is a pain if you're close to ridding yourself of the minions. While Snow Miser has minions that are weaker than Heat Miser's, he makes up for it by having stronger attacks: each coming up at a predetermined point in the song.

. . . He's Mister Icicle/He's Mister Ten Below. . .
Snow Miser blows a stream of frozen wind 2 Battlefield Platforms forward - forming the icy shape of a "-10" at the end of it's path: it's the size of Kirby and lingers for 2 seconds. While the wind simply blows you forward and ensures you will get hit with the -10, getting hit with the -10 will deal 13% vertical damage (as well as applying a Freezie effect at very high percentages).

. . . What ever I touch/Turns to snow in my clutch. . .
Snow Miser teleports to a random foe and grabs them, dealing a neat little 25% damage as he traps them within a block of ice before teleporting back to his nomal spot. While in this block of ice, foes are frozen onstage and must buttonmash out with 2x grab difficulty - still able to be damaged by outside sources. While far less potent than Heat Miser's version in terms of raw knockback, this is far better for damage-racking. Snow Miser gets to use this attack three times total during his two-minute reign, each time the song comes back to it.

. . . And let it freeze!. . .
As soon as this is yelled, Snow Miser motions to the top of the sky before he resumes singing, as several Kirby-sized chunks of snowballs begin falling down to the ground at Sonic's dash speed for the next 5 seconds. Getting hit with these snowballs will freeze you while dealing 25% damage, and having these fall on the ground will cause the effected area to be coated in Brawl ice - causing foes to slip and slide about. This ice lasts until Snow Miser disappears.

Whenever Snow/Heat Miser spawn, the other brother has a chance of spawning from a crate/fiend-doll/what-have-you. Should this happen, the other brother will assume his place before the music restarts, the two shooting glares at each other. The music restarts, becoming a sing-off between the two, alternating between their verses as they sing (imagine something like this with half-decent singers). All the while, Snow Miser/Heat Miser throw their snowballs and fireballs at each other from across the stage - their range being increased just for this, and they fire them constantly. Unlike an individual brother being summoned, the two will not leave on their own. Both sets of minions must be killed here for them to go, a rather difficult task considering they can summon more easily, but they can damage each other's minions. Still, two Miser Brothers are more dangerous than one...

__________________
 

PsychoIncarnate

The Eternal Will of the Swarm
Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
50,642
Location
Char
NNID
PsychoIncarnate
3DS FC
4554-0155-5885
Maybe snow miser and heat miser should be a tag team
 

Rychu

Thane of Smashville
Joined
Jul 5, 2010
Messages
810
3DS FC
1908-0105-4965
psyche Im back
 
Last edited:

Davidreamcatcha

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
629
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld0uIhst3TA

Plans, plans, plans... they always have their plans.
But the problem with their plans is that when you take an in̷sán͟e ̢p̴er҉son to the asylum...
You're just taking him home! Thè̕͡ ̕v̶͝e̸̡̨ry̷ p͡l̨a͝c̷̨e͏̧ ́h̛͝͞e̛͠ ͞k͜͜͞n҉o̕w͡s̡̢ ͠b́̀͢ȩ͜s͞͠t!̵͠

THE JOKER

The Joker is one of the most prominent supervillains in media, constantly fighting the Batman, and is an iconic character in his own right. Originally meant as a one-shot throwaway character, Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger added one sloppily-drawn panel at the end of Batman #1 to show that he had survived, just in case they decided to use him again - just the way the Joker would have liked it. The Joker is an incredibly prominent part of Batman's life, responsible for the deaths and injuries of many of his allies. Some would say the two are even intertwined. Even with his deadly psyche and unpredictability, there is far more to the Joker that makes him dangerous. He's armed to the teeth with lethal weapons, all themed after his clown persona. His strategies revolve around driving his foe mad, always predicting and working around their every movement. "The Joker may like to appear random and crazy to all his enemies...but deep down, he's a master at planning, always moving foes closer to Checkmate. He's completely off the wall crazy, the Ace of Knaves: The Joker, has joined the Brawl! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Stats

Size: 7
Weight: 6
Aerial Movement: 6
Movement: 5
Jumps: 5
Traction: 4
Falling Speed: 4

Idle Stance
The Joker stands at a slight hunch, looking around and occasionally rubbing his rubbed hands together and chuckling evilly.

Walk
The Joker hunches, hand on his chin as he walks, surely plotting a devious scheme to destroy his opponent's psyche.

Run
Joker begins pumping his arms as he leans forward all the way, haters gonna hate.

Crouch
Nothing notable - Joker bends his knees and crouches, identical to his crouching pose in Arkham Asylum. He can crawl in this state.

UP TAUNT - A REAL JOKE
The Joker lets out a mad laugh, as is expected of the mad clown.

SIDE TAUNT - PSSSH!
The Joker blow his foe a raspberry - letting out a small chuckle afterwards.

DOWN TAUNT - I'M INNOCENT!
The Joker digs his hands into his pockets and whistles innocently, nothing to see here, folks.

Specials

Down Special: Gas Bomb
Giggling with glee, The Joker draws a canister of his trademark gas, stepping back a bit - taking just a bit longer than Snake's down special. The canister is about the same size as one of those funny little Capsules you can find in any old game of Smash...but has a devious twist, as can be expected from the chaotic mind of the Joker. The Canister spews out the Joker's trademark green gas from its top, growing at a rate of one Kirby per second. This gas doesn't obscure foes, only giving a sickly green hue to everything inside of it (think Luigi's Final Smash more than the Smoke Bombs). Despite this, the gas deals 1% per second to every foe in contact with the gas - the Joker being immune to the toxins present in the gas. Thankfully, this gas's damage is entirely passive, dealing no knockback or stun to foes inside. The Joker has no limit to the canisters he can have onstage...good for him, as the foes are free to simply pick up the canisters and throw them like an item, as well as knock them around. They have Meta Knight's weight, meaning they aren't exactly hard to knock around. All the gas that has spread from the canister will disappear roughly 3 seconds after the Canister is moved away from it. The only other things about the canister that's worthy of mentioning? It will explode like a bob-omb if dealt damage 15% damage or is hit by a fire/explosive attack, dealing 11% damage and high knockback, giving foes alternate means of destroying it - though it's immune to Joker attacks unless stated otherwise. That, and the foe will drop the canister if dealt enough damage like any other item, as well as dropping it as soon as tripped/proned.

Side Special: A Death In The Family
The Joker brings out a crowbar and enters a new stance where he looks frantic - skipping merrily for his dash animation, still having the same movement properties but only having two attacks. By simply pressing the B Button in this state, The Joker swings the crowbar forward in a vertical strike which prones foes and deals 13%. By pressing the A Button, The Joker swings the crowbar horizontally. This trips them, dealing 6% - but being able to trip foes who are shielding. Missing with either brings the Joker out of the stance with bad end lag.

If you hit with this, there's an automatic follow-up. The Joker immediately crouches above the foe, beating his crowbar into his hand. By pressing the B Button, The Joker will swing the crowbar downwards, dealing 3% damage and keeping them in prone. While in this prone state, the foe must buttonmash out as though trapped in a grab, striking out with a get-up attack upon getting out of it. They hit to both sides for 5% damage if their get-up attack is not just a generic one. (movesets like Stromboli and King K. Rool).

This is an excellent way to keep foes occupied within gas, keeping them trapped inside it to take constant passive damage while Joker wails on them. This is by far the Joker's best source for constant damage output, as well. Don't believe me? You could always ask Jason To- oh wait! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

If the Joker attacks with the crowbar over a foe already proned/tripped, he will automatically go over them and begin wailing, not needing to land the initial hit.


Up Special: Knives, Knives, Knives!
Joker loves his knifes! If not on the ground, he leaps up in an uppercut motion with one, moving just a little less than Ganon's up special before entering helplessness. If he hits a foe, he will grab them and proceed to slash them (dealing 8%) before entering helplessness. The knife creates an open wound in the foe, causing them to take a wounded stance and spill out blood (Only if they're human. If they're not organic, they assume a reddish hue). This state lasts for 3 seconds. It has no immediate effect - unless they're standing in the gas or are inflicted with a different status effect, in which case it doubles the damage the effect does. This makes Joker lethal up close given the circumstances - while he dies quickly offstage thanks to his recovery, having enough gas and status effect inflicting devices around makes being close to him dangerous thanks to this attack.

On the ground, Joker simply stabs the knife forward with decent range, having the same effect as grabbing them in midair.

Neutral Special: Chattering Teeth
Joker pulls out a pair of chattering teeth with legs, winding it and placing it on the ground in the time it takes Mario to fire off two fireballs. The chattering teeth move forward at Bowser's walk speed mindlessly, turning at walls but not hesitating to move off edges. If you press the neutral special while it's mobile, it will detonate, dealing 10% damage and high explosive knockback. This detonates early if it is dealt 5% damage, and Joker can only have one at a time.

If you hold the input and don't let go until he places down the teeth, Joker will pull out a Wii U controller and use it to take control of them - you no longer having to hold it once he does so. From this state, he is able to move it in any direction at both Bowser's walking and dash speed - as well as it having a jump that brings it up a Kirby. In this form, Joker can press B to detonate it and A to cause it to move forward the way it does by default - unable to take control of it again. This can be used to move them in a more situational position, if needed. More importantly, just placing it down by default creates a threat - the foe has to step around the teeth and into the air to avoid detonation. Should Joker be hit while he is manually controlling the teeth, though, they will shut down and disappear without exploding. Be careful with this.

Standards

Dash Attack: HOLD IT!
The Joker grinds to a halt, kicking up a bit of dust as a cosmetic effect as he stops dashing, holding one arm behind himself as he does so. He holds this stance moving at his walk speed for .30 seconds. Should there be anyone behind him, he grabs them with his open arm and throws them forward as a hitbox dealing 10% (and dealing the same amount to foes who come in contact with them) - flying forward 2 Battlefield Platforms before they end up in prone. This can also come in handy in a FFA/2v2 situation, though without any devious partner this mostly works as a way to control your traction and space foes who are on your tail.

You can always dash past a foe and use this, of course.

Jab: The Poker
The Joker pokes forward with two fingers, as though trying to poke his foe's eyes out. This goes out as far as Bowser's ftilt and is lightning fast - by far the fastest move in your arsenal (in fact, your only "quick" move to be honest). This only deals 1% and very minor knockback, however, just enough to space them a very small distance away. This is mainly good as something to throw out during a foe's startup lag, interrupting their attacks casually whenever they attempt to perform them. More of an annoyance than an attack.

Forward Tilt: Bullets Everywhere
Joker extracts a pistol and quickly lets a shot loose from it - it traveling a Final Destination forward at Sonic's dash speed, but dealing a minimal 4% and minor stun. This is a relatively quick projectile, but more importantly, any foes carrying an item will drop it upon being hit with this. It also has extra purpose in FFA, as the bullet travels through multiple people rather than just stopping at one - stopping foes who might potentially be carrying multiple canisters.

By pressing this back, Joker doesn't turn around and fire. Rather, he does a trick shot to fire behind himself, still having the same lag times. This works well at disabling foes behind him.

Down Tilt: Have A Whiff/Silent Takedown
Joker stands up and grasps the flower on his jacket, a yellow spray coming out a short time afterwards and lingering for a moment before it disappears - this whole move/end lag is about as long as Ganon's ftilt. This yellow spray instantly trips whoever it hits, in a banana peel effect, dealing 4% damage. Incredibly useful on foe's attempting to run out of gas, in instances where you can't trail after them using your crowbar, this allows you to harass them and close distance - as well as acting as a potential frontrunner for said crowbar. While also causing them to drop any items, this is less effective than your ftilt. In that regard, however, the canister will be right next to them with this. They'll be forced to roll or risk detonating it with a get-up attack.

Up Tilt: Burn, Baby, Burn!
Joker takes out a lit molotov cocktail from his warehouse of props, and lobs it forward after a small startup period. He lobs it 2 Battlefield Platforms forward in an arc, it dealing 7% damage and decent GTFO knockback while traveling at Mario's walk speed. As soon as it hits the foe or the ground, it explodes in a small hitbox, dealing the same amount of damage.

A gas canister coming in contact with the Molotov will cause it to explode...the threat of a molotov heading towards a canister is enough to make foes panic for sure, which you should certainly try to capitalize upon. This is also your best way of destroying canisters.

Smashes

Forward Smash: Water, Water Every Hare
Joker adjusts his flower for the charging period, before spraying a large stream of poisoned water forward. This water, purple in color, is identical to Mario's water in terms of size. However, the range this has changes depending on charge. It will go out one Battlefield Platform at minimal charge and a full Battlefield at total charge. Getting hit with the water will cause you to take on a purple hue and take on hits of 2% damage for the next 3-5 seconds. This creates another opportunity for the Joker to stack on damage, of course.

More importantly, everywhere the water sprayed will be covered with it. This is a generic tripping trap, of course, that lasts for 6 seconds. If Joker uses his dash attack atop the water trap, he will cause it to splash forward, giving affected foes the initial poison effect. Doing this gives Joker another method of stage control - foes who aren't in the gas will be forced upon areas with water. Unfortunately for the Joker, he can only have one area covered with water at a time - meaning he'll need to spread it out quite a bit.

The water trap has another purpose as well - any items thrown on it will slide forward the length of it at an incredibly fast speed. If a tripped foe is holding one, it will act as though it was thrown on and slide. This, as you might imagine, is useful in spacing your canisters. Teeth also move at an incredibly fast speed if sliding over this.

Up Smash: Pick A Card!
During the charge, Joker crouches and faces the screen, holding two of his namesake cards as though they were shurikens. Upon releasing the input, he hurls both cards - dealing 8-12% damage depending on the charge - the cards are razor-sharp and drag foes hit to the end of their path, as the cards travel a Battlefield outwards each. Perhaps one of your most obvious spacers, this also works amazingly in terms of getting foes offstage, as well as in a FFA context. hanks to how low Joker crouches, you can potentially drag canisters or teeth to space them if needed.

Down Smash: Giggly Ghost
Joker places a purple landmine on the ground, giggling madly as he places it in a Snake-esque manner (taking a bit longer). The mine, should it be stepped on, will beep and start spewing pink smoke. After a second of spewing it, the mine will explode in a hitbox dealing 11-16% damage and good knockback.

Is that all? NO! You think someone like the Joker would do something that simple!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The pink smoke, while appearing harmless, is lethal combined with your green gas. It adds a few precious compunds to it, which come into play once the landmine explodes. Once the landmine explodes? All the gas it's in contact with explodes as well, dealing the same damage as the landmine - the gas and canister disappear shortly afterwards, but it's worth it. Foes who attempt to shield the explosion will find themselves blown skyhigh regardless. Given Joker's vast spacing gallery (dsmash especially), he has no problem spacing foes into the mine when need be. Foes will be desperate to get rid of it, considering the mine will stay out with no limit (though Joker can only have one out, placing a new one will cause the old one to disappear)

The mine can be set off early like Snake's dsmash mine, meaning foes will go out of their way to attempt to destroy it with their projectiles, leaving plenty of time for Joker to capitalize.

Grab-Game

With a cry of "Put 'Er There!", Joker extends his hand to the foe. This can be angled in one of three directions, much like Bowser's Ftilt, and is relatively quick. This is a grab in the traditional sense, with Joker grabbing the foe's hand as though shaking it. However, this is also a grab counter - if Joker grabs a physical hitbox or grabs while the foe is attempting to grab them, Joker immediately enters his pummel.

Pummel: A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight
There's a reason that Joker is grabbing their hand...he was wearing a modified buzzer the entire time! He giggles madly as the foe is shocked, with them being dealt 3% damage. If this was executed as a counter, Joker then kicks them away for another 3% damage and light knockback. - meaning you don't get a chance to follow up with a throw. If this was executed as a normal grab, you can throw after this.

Natural interaction? If the foe was covered in water, they're dealt 20% damage and high knockback upwards - by far your best killer, but you have a limited time to execute it thanks to the status effect. You have a better chance of using this while standing in a puddle of water - using this there will indeed have the same effect, but you also deal yourself the damage and knockback. Oh dear, are you sure you want to do that with your middle weight? Well, if you have a high percent, why not? You're crazy enough to do it! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Canisters will also explode if the foe is holding one, dealing damage to both Joker and the foe. If they're covered/in water and holding one, the damage is at the max.

Side Throw: Spring-Loaded Boxing Glove
Joker shoves the foe a small distance away, before he pulls out a spring-loaded boxing glove. He quickly launches it, the boxing glove pushing foes a Battlefield forward before releasing them with 8% damage and good knockback. While an excellent spacer in its own right (good for dragging foes through your gas if it's there), this is especially good for crowd control. If the foe on the glove hits anyone, both the one on the glove and the outsider will be dealt an extra 5% damage (with the outsider receiving knockback). The same effect occurs if the foe hits a wall. Use this wisely.

Up Throw: BANG!
The Joker points a gun straight at the foe, releasing a Bang Flag from it. After a small chuckle, Joker fires the Bang Flag, impaling it directly into the opponent! This deals 10% off the Bat (get it? HAHAHAHAHAHA!) but more importantly, as long as the flag is impaled, they act as though they have an open wound effect from the up special. The flag disappears after 15 seconds - a decent amount of time, compared to the up special. However, they can remove the flag early by standing still for a second and a half, causing them to remove it in a method that would make sense for them. It's a win-win either way: Joker gets in a lot of time to apply status effects to them or gets time to spread gas and traps. Just the way he likes it!

Down Throw: Pound
Mimicking one of his takedowns in Arkham Asylum, Joker climbs on to his foe's face and begins pounding at it, dealing 3 hits of 2% before they fall down on the ground. If they're holding an item, Joker proceeds to take it from them. It's a relatively simple throw, but it's the only one of your's that doesn't deal knockback, allowing for a follow-up from your crowbar or what-have-you. This also allows you to yank gas canisters from the foe if they have them, throwing them a safe distance away.

Aerials

Neutral Aerial: Cartwheel
Joker faces the screen and extends his arms, entering a spin like Kirby's while giggling madly. While the landing lag on this is hilariously bad, this comes in handy against midair foes. It deals multiple hits of 1% and minor stun, potentially holding foes who would be going for your canisters in place. You can also move during this, meaning you can drag foes away from them as well.

Forward Aerial: BAT-A-TAT-TAT!
Joker pulls a tommygun from his pants, aiming it in a manner much like Shiek's needles - and lets loose! BANG BANG BANG! The Joker fires 10 bullets over the next second and half, before reloading for a very good period of endlag. You can DI during this, but cannot aim. A bullet travels the distance of Final Destination and deals 1% and light stun, giving it some nice range. This is mainly used for aerial harassment, working well as an edgeguarding tool, as well as it working well when shorthopped: there being very little lag when you hit the ground.

Up Aerial: SURPRISE!
The Joker pulls his sleeve open a bit, causing a Kirby-sized cloud of gas to appear from it. The gas travels about a Ganon upwards at Mario's dash speed before lingering there for 3 seconds. The gas is identical to the gas from your neutral special, this move being useful in that it allows you to create temporary aerial-based traps should the foe keep destroying them...as well as punishing foes who attempt to go into the air to get away from you, especially those with an open wound.

Back Aerial: Mock Salute
The Joker faces the screen, doing a sailor's salute, slamming one arm to his right/left (depending on what your back was to) at the end of it. This has the startup/endlag of Mario's forward aerial, with Joker's hand becoming slightly exaggerated during this much like said move. Joker's hand deals 7%, with it gimping foes downwards. An excellent tool if you're able to drag them a small distance offstage - not too far considering Joker's recovery, but this is one of Joker's only unorthodox killing tools. This and forward aerial allow you to have some sort of threat against foes who camp in the air from your onstage madness. This move also turns Joker around.

Down Aerial: Cannonball
"The Joker Does... a Cannonball." Bringing his knees to his stomach, the Joker does indeed do this - bringing himself down at the speed of the Ice Climber's stall and fall. This deals 7% damage and decent knockback to those hit by it. Less important as an attack maneuver, this allows Joker to quickly get back to the ground - usefully in getting down to and defending your canisters if needed.

FINAL SMASH

Please! Stop! I can't take anymore! You win! You beat me!

...Hang on, did I say me? I meant me...and t̛͠hé̸s̡̛̕è ̵҉͢g̶͘u̢y̡͜s҉͘!̧̛

10 Joker Henchmen drop down from the top blast zone to assist Joker, not leaving until they are all KOed (and another Smash Ball not appearing until they all are). All of them have the stats of Captain Falcon, and are 3 AI levels lower than the highest one in the match (5 otherwise). They will attack using Captain Falcon's standards and smashes. However, some Joker Henchmen come armed. These lucky henchmen will carry machetes (beam sword reskins) and Home Run Bats. These can be dropped and used by Joker as well. With the henchmen constantly going after the foes, Joker is free to set up more stage control. Of course, his more FFA-centric moves have more context here as well...
CTF Mode

Joker naturally comes in handy in CTF Mode. He only has 3 real changes here:

* Your gas canisters obscure, rather than give a hue.
* Your camera tracks the chattering teeth when you assume control of them, allowing you to scout.
* Up Taunt will cause the Joker to put on specs - allowing him to see everyone in a blurred vision, and seeing through obscuring things like smoke/gas. Perfect for seeing through your gas canister, and taking down that pesky Sandslash. Joker will wear the specs until you taunt again.

Even so, Joker's strategy in CTF should be obvious. He's very comfortable in a FFA setting, and is an aggressive trap-setter. As he can't set up his gas inside the base due to...kind of poisoning everyone, he'll likely be taking over a camera zone by the front of it - giving you time to have the zone completely obscured by the time the match starts. Given the scarcity of side blast zones, foes are going to want to destroy the canisters. Hard due to the fact that they're now obscured. Your up taunt allows you to completely dominate inside the gas, letting you seek out and individualize your foes to take them down before they get inside the base. If it's going slow, feel free to use your chattering teeth to scout out and cause mayhem the enemy base. Use that while wearing your specs to allow you to see through enemy smoke, learning of the enemy's strategies. While these are more individual strategies than a full-on playstyle, these should be helpful tips in terms of Joker-playing.

Playstyle

"Thed Joker is all about one thing: His gas." Much like in his many source materials, Joker is slow and practically incompetent unprepared. However, given the right plan, Joker is a foe that will require every bit of your mental prowess to beat. Joker can easily KO the foe, but the right conditions must be at hand - with the foe poisoned, your gas canisters set up and both seeping into their blood through an open wound, your minimal damage output suddenly increases to an excellent damage output. Your KO methods are incredibly unorthodox, with the time having to be absolutely right in order to lay the final punchline. While you can always go for an early KO against offstage foes with your f/bairs, taking care of foes who attempt to retreat away from your ground-based fun early, you have a far better chance setting up your complex plans and testing out your deathtrap on them.

Joker was especially built with a FFA setting in mind. If left to his own devices, he'll easily get control over the match. As most will be prioritizing him, he's incredibly competent at dealing with multiple foes with moves like forward tilt and forward throw. Joker is also good at individualizing his opponents, getting some one-one-one time with them via things like his crowbar.

Nevertheless, let it never be said Joker is a bad fighter...just let it be said that Joker is a bad fighter without the proper circumstances. Joker gets trounced easily without him having control over the stage, though some of his moves are directly based around countering the foe. Still, once you space out your opponents enough to set up your giggling goofy gags, you have the task of defending them. You have multiple ways to keep foes from getting to your canisters, and multiple ways to make them drop them. And should the foe get to in your face? Well, you always have a way to go down with them: your joybuzzer, and you can always attempt to go in for a suicide bair considering your meager recovery. Joker is a deliberate character - he takes his time and plans carefully, as the slow knife cuts the deepest. But you can do it, you can prove their little schemes are all wrong and prove yourself worthy. You'll win eventually, and if you don't? "Kill the damn fools and lay your traps to start over. Lather, Rinse, Repeat! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
 

Katapultar

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
1,251
Location
Australia
[collapse="The Joker"]I swear this is the 6th set this guy's gotten, but nonetheless you're an awesome guy for posting this, Dave. The Joker's joke tends to get really old on me given how many sets he's gotten, endless interpretations and all, but I actually like the idea behind the surprisingly straightforward gas bombs - rather than having one big thing you rely on, just have so many devices inflicting poison damage on the foe that they pretty much have to put up with them, what with they being harmless in small doses. Simple, effective and fitting for the Joker, if I say so myself.

I was expecting something a bit more complexity within the set given the potential nature of the character, though I obviously don't mind simplicity as you're not setting up for anything grand. In fact, the gas canisters' importance and interactions become more obvious and awesome as one delves further into the set - knocking foes into prone and scaring them into not using get-up attacks from all the canisters you've set-up, let alone making them drop them with your simple attacks, is a very cool idea that complements the simplicity of the set. That said, perhaps the canisters could have had less HP in order to ensure they -do- get destroyed by get-up attacks, though I guess that way it scares foes even more as they won't be sure whether the canister will explode or not, much like Brawl's blast boxes only in more abundance.

The only problems I have come from the strangeness of certain moves (Dash Attack not only hits behind him but also throws opponents awkwardly far, the second half of the D-Smash seems like it's describing another move by accident), and how the set doesn't really go that much further beyond the good canister concept - most of the other stuff is either supporting the gas or being FFA-orientated meant for such or the boss-mode. Perhaps the set would have been stronger with another concept to stand side-by-side with the gas, or some interesting ways to take advantage of the poison damage, maybe a sticky bomb that manually detonates and experiences greater knockback growth when the foe reaches a certain percentage so they need to choose between blowing themselves up earlier and not dying from later damage or taking a huge risk. Even the gun being able to kill at a later percentage could present a form of panic to the foe, if that'd work with your vision of Joker. So far as interesting Davian concepts go regarding the present day, Joker is probably second fiddle to G-Man for me, being a set that could have ranked as an excellent simplistic set with a bit of extra polish. The set's posting is much appreciated in this time of day, but being a set for such a beloved character of yours I'd understand if you wanted to be more ambitious with it. That said, you probably had your own vision set out for a definite Joker. [/collapse]
 

Davidreamcatcha

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
629
I actually like the idea behind the surprisingly straightforward gas bombs - rather than having one big thing you rely on, just have so many devices inflicting poison damage on the foe that they pretty much have to put up with them, what with they being harmless in small doses. Simple, effective and fitting for the Joker, if I say so myself.
That was the point, and was needed to emphasize the Joker's characterization - he's near-powerless with just one or so weapon out, but with plenty he's a dangerous son of a *****.

I was expecting something a bit more complexity within the set given the potential nature of the character, though I obviously don't mind simplicity as you're not setting up for anything grand.
Simple moves leading into playstyles with depth are good things, especially when that's what most Brawl sets and excellent movesets like N. Brio pull off.

though I guess that way it scares foes even more as they won't be sure whether the canister will explode or not, much like Brawl's blast boxes only in more abundance.
Mhm.

The only problems I have come from the strangeness of certain moves (Dash Attack not only hits behind him but also throws opponents awkwardly far, the second half of the D-Smash seems like it's describing another move by accident),
I was imagining Dash Attack working in 1v1 decently - with Joker just dashing past foes and tossing them while they're still behind them. DSmash was fixed, and was a massive error due to how quickly the set was made.

Perhaps the set would have been stronger with another concept to stand side-by-side with the gas, or some interesting ways to take advantage of the poison damage
Agreed. Check the new DSmash.

As I intend this to be the definite Joker set, I'll be routinely updating it until it's considered perfect or at least "good" by those who throw in their opinions. A changelist is below.

* Joker can only harm his canisters with certain moves
* Old USmash moved to UTilt
* Old DSmash moved to USmash
* DSmash was changed
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,260
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
By the definitive Joker set, do you mean for all incarnations of the Joker? Mostly asking because some Jokers(The Batman Joker) are a pretty big departure from others.
 

Davidreamcatcha

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
629
It's primarily tailored for a traditional Joker - encompassing aspects of most comic incarnations. It is also tailored heavily from the Arkham games, The DCAU, Jack Nicholson (who I imagine as being an alternate skin for this Joker) and Mortal Kombat vs DCU.

I firmly believe some incarnations of the character - the one you mentioned, Heath Ledger's, Cesar Romero's and practically all Elseworlds incarnations are capable of having their own movesets, with most deserving of them. Attempting to cram elements from these Jokers into this one would most likely create a conflicting atmosphere and take away some of the character from this one.
 

Davidreamcatcha

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
629
I'm The Holiday Armadillo! Your Part-Jewish Friend!

ROSS'S APARTMENT
Ross's Apartment is an recurring location relocation on Friends, with this being the second apartment - lasting from Season 5 to Season 8. It appears as a stage in Smash!


The stage is about as long as 3 and 1/2 Battlefields placed side-by-side. The red square represents a door - which will become more significant later on, and the black square is a tree - which does a decent job of blocking the right blast zone. In the middle of the stage is an endtable, while the arm of the couch is in the foreground - the rest is in the background. The apartment is decorated for Christmas, with Monica taking care of last-minute decorations and Ben sitting excitedly waiting for the yearly visit of Santa Claus. All seems to be going well, until about 30 seconds in...



THE HOLIDAY ARMADILLO EMERGES FROM THE DOOR!​

The Armadillo walks towards the couch at Bowser's walk speed, proclaiming "I'm The Holiday Armadillo! Your part-Jewish Friend! Happy Hanukkah!" He slinks into the background once he reaches the couch. This begins the first part of a sequence of events that can be stopped by damaging the Holiday Armadillo before he reaches the table. He's a pretty durable guy, but has a wide hitbox - by dealing 30% to his front and/or tail before he reaches the couch, he will retreat back into the door. He will appear a minute later to walk to the couch. Once he makes it to the couch, he will sit on the part in the background - beginning to educate Ben on Hannukah.


Santa Claus emerges from the door 20 seconds later, moving to the couch at Mario's dash speed, slinking into the background once he reaches it. By dealing 20% to him, he will retreat through the door and reappear 20 seconds later. After a small dispute, Santa begins to listen to the story of Hannukah with Ben...until Superman appears 10 seconds later. He will run to the couch at Falco's dash speed, dealing 10% to him will cause him to retreat, same deal as the others - he begins to listen.

A minute after these three titans have all been assembled, they will light the traditional Hanukkah menorah on the end table - this creates a constant hitbox that knocks those who walk into it upwards dealing 15%. They will also turn the couches into the background and sit on them, beginning to sing both traditional Christmas and Hanukkah songs. While these may give many more room, it also makes the middle of the stage a constant hitbox - killing those with low jumps. The best way to ensure this doesn't happen? Kill the Holiday Armadillo. On arrival.

 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
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1,260
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
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Rankings probably won't be updated. Commenting on my crappy laptop at my grandmother's.

(I put up the star rankings for these movesets, but this laptop was just too slow to grab images, so I will put images up for these when I get home. The only exception is Mistleteinn, who has been ranked for over a month but not commented. I have the best image for the Joker.)

Smile GothaMYM! Smiiiiile!

Forward Aerial should totally be called BAT-A-TAT-TAT. Also, the flag lasting 20 seconds is a...bit much even if it can be removed after a second and a half unattended. I do like the basic idea of Joker's playstyle, as he passes plenty of gas and has some fine prone abuse, and I like the simplicity in areas, like the crowbar. At the same time, it feels heavily flawed at time: The aforementioned throw flag for 20 seconds is a bit long, the Up Aerial seems a bit wasted(Throw canister up, get gas in the air without UAir), the Dash Attack feels somewhat awkward outside of it's interaction with F-Smash to me, the F-Smash itself being a generic tripping trap for 6 seconds I am iffy on, but I'm ultimately fine with it for it's playstyle relevence...

In my opinion, the low point of the set is boss mode and hulked up Joker. I really wish there was more than just four Specials changed, especially as many of the standards seem awkward for said Joker version. I'd love to see more of a complete/semi-complete transformation. And maybe have it last a bit longer too: The flag lasts longer than it!

I'm honestly unsure how to feel about this set. I think it has a lot more feel, a lot more flair than you normally have, hopefully that doesn't sound insulting, but despite this being made quickly it has a Joker feel to it.

Kissing Under The Mistleteinn

The problem with Mistleteinn is balance. It's not even that she's overpowered, which she is, but rather that battels against Mistleteinn are always lopsided I feel. She will either dominate the foe or be dominated. Her moveset doesn't allow much of a middle ground to me. As some general complaints...her counter is absurdly strong. Reflect, say, Samus missile or charge shot with the counter with the 4.5x usual damage and people are dying in droves, it's easy to land and almost a bit too absurdly versatile. The jab deals absurd damage even if you don't finish it. U-Tilt's OHKO is hilariously situational, although I presume it's more of a show carryover, which makes it much more acceptable. The F-Smash is horribly powerful even without the lunge. And isn't F-Throw a bit easy to kill with?

Good things about the set...I actually think Mistleteinn takes advantage of her Fly-ish concept pretty well. D-Throw is also a cool move, though it's execution is very iffy: Mistleteinn would much rather just kill foes because she's so damn strong. She's also well characterized, all the overpoweredness feels fitting...but it just doesn't seem fun to play or to play against to me without having super interesting playstyle to compensate.

(Also she's cute)

Move every Zig...zagoon

I know this still says it's a draft, but it's been quite a while, so hey.

Zigzagoon actually has some interesting tricks. Most prominent is the 1-frame pivot, which I could so see being abused in actual Brawl terms, with some surprisingly cute little shenanigans from it's Jab, F-Tilt and D-Tilt: D-Tilt's stun is interesting with the movement, as is the jab's ability to gnaw at shields greatly. And Forward Smash is interesting with it's first half super armor. And the NSpec takes advantage of momentcum cancelling in a most interesting way, with it's reversing momentum. I also like Uair, whose sweetspot shenanigans are quite interesting.

There were some things I did not like, though. I don't like Covet's use with items in the foe's hands: Yes, it fits the in-game description, but it feels odd in the game the way it's played. I do like having the no-item version, however. I feel like the seeds are often not really jiving well with the moveset, even if D-Smash does have some very amusing writing(Ninja!). U-Smash also feels out of place, not in it's function, but that it would feel better as a normal(Double-Edge?) or a grass move to fit in with the seeds or something. So that feels a bit odd. Also, there's no dash attack. Aside from that, it's a bit unspectacular, but I wouldn't say I disliked it overall...it reminds me of Rattata, though not quite as well liked.
 

Katapultar

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
1,251
Location
Australia
Kissing Under The Mistleteinn

The problem with Mistleteinn is balance. It's not even that she's overpowered, which she is, but rather that battels against Mistleteinn are always lopsided I feel. She will either dominate the foe or be dominated. Her moveset doesn't allow much of a middle ground to me. As some general complaints...her counter is absurdly strong. Reflect, say, Samus missile or charge shot with the counter with the 4.5x usual damage and people are dying in droves, it's easy to land and almost a bit too absurdly versatile. The jab deals absurd damage even if you don't finish it. U-Tilt's OHKO is hilariously situational, although I presume it's more of a show carryover, which makes it much more acceptable. The F-Smash is horribly powerful even without the lunge. And isn't F-Throw a bit easy to kill with?

Good things about the set...I actually think Mistleteinn takes advantage of her Fly-ish concept pretty well. D-Throw is also a cool move, though it's execution is very iffy: Mistleteinn would much rather just kill foes because she's so damn strong. She's also well characterized, all the overpoweredness feels fitting...but it just doesn't seem fun to play or to play against to me without having super interesting playstyle to compensate.

(Also she's cute)
Hmmm. Could have sworn I tailor made this to your liking, but I understand what you mean. I had a lot of fun making this set, more so than anything else I've made this contest save for possibly Katmey (it's one of 3 sets I gave a playlist so you can probably tell), so any criticism directed towards this set will be dealt with here and now.

Playstyle is definitely the weakest part of the set, and there's a good reason for it: unlike most of my sets, I didn't make this one because of a good idea but rather because I thought I could create a good atmosphere. I also had a small collection of pictures screencapped from my DVD, and man you don't know how much having a bunch of pictures on your computer makes you feel like making a moveset for that specific character. It was a successful experiment I could implement on my future moveset, and who doesn't like pretty pictures? So successful in-fact I worked on this set non-stop from the moment I started it.

The set was geared more towards being an experience over being a straightforward set, so had I just introduced Mistelteinn at the start of the set she could have just been a 1v1 character who morphs the stage as she moves around it given it's impossible for her to exist in the real world. You could say that Mistelteinn being overpowered as all hell ruins the fun in playing as her (or greatly detracts from it), and that being able to pick any character of the 3 you're fighting to sit with you while the other two break through makes the fights scripted, especially given the stage will always be the same no matter which stage is picked beforehand. I tried to justify the overpoweredness via Mistelteinn not having the weight advantages that other bosses have and how she doesn't have the absurd range some of them do, instead having simple attacks...which pretty much bulldoze through the other brawlers' attacks in terms of priority. Did you know that the Standard attack originally did 60%? The D-Smash also did 70% too, but I toned it down.

The problem seems all too easy to fix: make it so the attacks instead deal high base knockback but don't truly KO until higher percentages. This keeps the powerful feel in-tact and allows for more strategy (such as the need to herd enemies to a certain place), though I feel it would interfere with Mistelteinn's established game a teensy, and that I could use said idea for a future set.

Now I know why previous 3v1s didn't have stupidly powerful moves like in here: moves with such point-blank power rob the set of potential depth. I don't regret making this set and know why it wasn't as good as it could have been, and could apply what did make it good to future stuff.
 

ForwardArrow

Smash Ace
Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Messages
502
George Washington
Obviously the set isn't taking itself all too seriously, given the absolutely ridiculous character choice. It's obviously very goofy and on some level gets across the video it was portraying, but there were a few errors in there. I rather dislike how when you include the "kick you apart" kick, you just make a Chuck Norris-esque joke on an otherwise fairly standard Bair that's not even especially powerful. I think the humor there only exists when he actually kicks someone in half, though admittedly that's rather hard to implement. Also perhaps you could have done something more interesting with the Cocaine than just a weird attack animation, or played off the size change a little more? Aside from that, the set's a little hard to read with the fact that the text is entirely red. All that aside, I wouldn't really mind seeing another set from you after this one, perhaps taking itself a little more seriously?

The Joker
Is it okay if I question your logic in making a "definitive" set for such a relevant character in three and a half hours? I mean, this isn't the kind of set you rush, given how iconic he is and how you wanted to make it as a tribute. If you're happy with it the way it is I won't argue, but it's just kind of bizarre.

The set has a halfway interesting basis in the gas canisters, serving an actual fair number of purposes. Some prone abuse stuff, passive poison gas, and a chain reaction explosive all in one. I never really feel the set picks up too much after that though. The remainder of the specials just consists of a grab which admittedly has some decent playstyle relevance with the get-up attacks, a way to just double up poison damage that isn't particularly interesting, and an awkward as hell pair of teeth he controls with a Wii U controller. Seriously, where did that come from? I'm not really a fan of just having multiple moves to make them drop the items either, only one really seems necessary, and I find it awkward that the bullet just makes them drop it either way. The set really just devolves into a bunch of different threads in later moves too, not really tying together all that well as you go separate ways with the gas and chain reaction, with their being a single link in the Down Smash that I admittedly slightly like, but the set's already perfectly capable of creating big explosions with the gas cannisters to start with. The aerials feel truly rushed though, with stuff like just creating a puff of gas that flies upwards on Uair, as Froy mentioned, and having a Dair literally ripped from Geto's first moveset ever. They don't flow into his gameplan in any meaningful way, other than generic spacing that any move with knockback could do.

I probably sound too much like I'm trying to hate the set here, yes, but I did think it was very uninteresting aside from a couple things that I feel other sets have done better(chain reaction traps) and honestly most of it feels out of place. It's nothing too offensive though sans the aerials and the chattering teeth... and the boss mode. The boss mode is an absolute mess. I know he has minions now, but the only real link into the minions is stalling for time and literally one move to throw them. A few of Joker's moves also generically hit multiple opponents and aren't even buffed. What you do buff for this boss mode is, well, giving Joker bigger range and duration on his attacks. Joker's not particularly powerful to begin with(given his lack of any good close range moves sans maybe the crowbar, I honestly think he's pretty UP), and all you really do is give him a few minions and buff the duration of some poison. The things you actually add in the boss mode are pretty terrible and show they were written in like 10 minutes, with a giant transformation that takes 5 seconds with no invulnerability or anything(your minions will not protect you that long, trust me) that still doesn't turn him into nearly a viable boss and is awkwardly using regular Joker's attacks in addition to some incredibly lazy specials that really aren't powerful enough to justify the ridiculous downsides to transforming. As well as Shield attacks while you take away his dodges, which he very, very desparately needs when you don't have the courtesy to give him immunities. You have minions yes, but they aren't particularly competent and no way are they holding the foe off for -5- seconds or not getting destroyed quickly due to their lack of a recovery. The other 2 shield attacks are generic as hell powerful attacks that have nothing to do with Joker's game. Honestly, the set would be better if you didn't have the boss mode at all.

In spite of my intense loathing of the boss mode, I will say the set did grow on me a little commenting it, as if you squint there's a bit of depth here. But... I don't really feel there's anything strong enough to justify the concepts which sans one slight prone abuse trick are just reused.
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,260
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
Hmmm. Could have sworn I tailor made this to your liking, but I understand what you mean. I had a lot of fun making this set, more so than anything else I've made this contest save for possibly Katmey (it's one of 3 sets I gave a playlist so you can probably tell), so any criticism directed towards this set will be dealt with here and now.

Playstyle is definitely the weakest part of the set, and there's a good reason for it: unlike most of my sets, I didn't make this one because of a good idea but rather because I thought I could create a good atmosphere. I also had a small collection of pictures screencapped from my DVD, and man you don't know how much having a bunch of pictures on your computer makes you feel like making a moveset for that specific character. It was a successful experiment I could implement on my future moveset, and who doesn't like pretty pictures? So successful in-fact I worked on this set non-stop from the moment I started it.

The set was geared more towards being an experience over being a straightforward set, so had I just introduced Mistelteinn at the start of the set she could have just been a 1v1 character who morphs the stage as she moves around it given it's impossible for her to exist in the real world. You could say that Mistelteinn being overpowered as all hell ruins the fun in playing as her (or greatly detracts from it), and that being able to pick any character of the 3 you're fighting to sit with you while the other two break through makes the fights scripted, especially given the stage will always be the same no matter which stage is picked beforehand. I tried to justify the overpoweredness via Mistelteinn not having the weight advantages that other bosses have and how she doesn't have the absurd range some of them do, instead having simple attacks...which pretty much bulldoze through the other brawlers' attacks in terms of priority. Did you know that the Standard attack originally did 60%? The D-Smash also did 70% too, but I toned it down.

The problem seems all too easy to fix: make it so the attacks instead deal high base knockback but don't truly KO until higher percentages. This keeps the powerful feel in-tact and allows for more strategy (such as the need to herd enemies to a certain place), though I feel it would interfere with Mistelteinn's established game a teensy, and that I could use said idea for a future set.

Now I know why previous 3v1s didn't have stupidly powerful moves like in here: moves with such point-blank power rob the set of potential depth. I don't regret making this set and know why it wasn't as good as it could have been, and could apply what did make it good to future stuff.
I will say that even if I didn't like it, I did like the effort put into it, it did show. And I did feel it did some interesting things, like the lack of weight bonii or the psuedo-Fly, but the balance issues and weak playstyle just brought it down for me. Still, I think some others like it, so.

EDIT: Yay, Photobucket is working. Rankings images up.
 

Hyper_Ridley

Smash Champion
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
2,288
Location
Hippo Island
YES…CRYSTALS!



KING SOMBRA


King Sombra is the ex-ruler of the Crystal Empire and a major antagonist in that darn pony show. Sombra himself is in fact a unicorn pony, and is practically the embodiment of hate and evil. Even his voice could kill a kitten. Sadly, he doesn’t get much screen time (or even dialogue) in his 2-parter episode, but the times he does get to do something are quite awesome.

As a unicorn, King Sombra has access to powerful magical abilities. He chose to use his to spread darkness, misery, and fear during his reign. True to the name of his kingdom, his powers often manifest themselves in the form of black crystals, spreading like a plague throughout the land. Even after his initial defeat, the denizens of the Crystal Empire suffered from amnesia and depression as a result of the sheer terror their previous ruler inflicted on them. On that note, his signature eye color only appears when he’s performing magic, otherwise they’re the standard white.

Also, he’s a heavyweight male antagonist pony. Even My Little Pony sees the greatness of Warlordian villains.

Music:
Kid Icarus Uprising: The War’s End
King Sombra Boss Theme
Most Fitting Music Ever that is in no way Ironic

STATS

Ground movement: Below average by default, Sombra’s dash has him enter a mighty gallop that is above average.
Traction: A king has no time for fumbling around. Sombra’s traction is excellent.
First Jump: Average
Midair Jump: Sombra uses his magic to give himself a high midair jump.
Air Speed: Average by default, but it increases 30% during Sombra’s midair jump
Air Control: Below average
Fall Speed: Average
Size: About half the size of crouching Bowser.
Weight: Average. He may be an HMA in Equestria, but in Smash Bros he’s got to contend with things like Bowser and King K.Rool.

SPECIALS

Neutral Special: Dark Crystal
King Sombra chuckles as he channels dark energy through his body before firing it out of his horn right into the ground before him. This has above average startup lag, moderate end lag, and deals 12% with a paralyzer effect to anything caught in the blast. Of course, the main use of this move is not to attack, but to strike the ground.

Upon doing so, a large black crystal sprouts from the ground, similar in size to Marth, and the ground beside this point turns dark as though covered in a giant shadow. This shadow starts out but the height of Mario to either side of the crystal, but as time goes on, the shadow slowly creeps outwards. It consumes an additional Mario’s worth of ground over 7 seconds, and once this new territory is claimed, small crystals appear at the edge of the shadows, no larger than a Purple Pikmin. The darkness won’t stop advancing until it has infected every last bit of the platform the main crystal is on.

Your rivals can try to thwart the spread themselves. The crystals are like the pillars in Luigi’s Mansion in that they do not block movement but will absorb the attacks that occur nearby. The small crystals perish with just 1 hit, and this also eliminates the darkness between the 2 adjacent crystals until the shadows connected to the main one can reclaim the lost ground. The main crystal has a hearty 50 HP, and if it is destroyed the crystal kingdom can survive, but can no longer spread until the king erects a new crystal to take its place. Sombra may also choose to manually detonate his main crystal through a second use of this input, creating a mighty purple explosion of energy that deals 13% with KO potential at 85%, but with all the lag of creating one in the first place. Still, once a platform is fully conquered, this allows Sombra to give up the initial infection point to start transforming another platform into a piece of the empire.

Now just what does this crystalline darkness DO exactly? If his majesty is inside an infected area, on the ground or within the height of his first jump, energy will course throughout his body as his speed on the ground and air increases by 30%. Several attacks also gain additional properties to be explained in due time. If an enemy is within range of the empire, their body pales as it loses its energy, signifying they will be taking 1.3x damage from Sombra’s attacks. The king himself does not need to be inside the shadows in order to take advantage of a debuffed opponent, making even the smallest infection points valuable assets.

Side Special: Grip of Darkness
Sombra chuckles as he sends what appears to be a group of crystal pebbles along the ground, the pebbles appearing at the nearest platform when performed in midair. This magic takes .35 seconds to perform. These pebbles travel at a moderate speed normally, but speed up tremendously when traveling across infected ground. The crystals travel up to ½ of Battlefield before their true nature is revealed: A claw-like growth of crystal, comparable in size to Luigi, bursts forth from the ground, dealing 11% and star KOing at 110%. After appearing, the crystal remains in the stage for up to 10 seconds, its sides acting as true walls and the spikey top dealing 6% and moderate set vertical knockback.

What’s particularly notable about this magic is the way the crystal seems to be aware of what constitutes a threat to the kingdom. It will attack early if it passes an enemy, but it won’t sprout directly under them. Instead, it will erupt from the ground once it has fully passed by, cutting off an escape route so Sombra may personally deal with the threat. Alternatively, Sombra may also use a smash input to give the crystal a more defensive-minded object: Emerge in front of the main crystal of the empire. This has the added incentive of ensuring that if an enemy is attacking the main crystal, they will be struck by the dark claw of justice.

Just as with the main crystal, performing this input with a “claw” in play will detonate it, dealing 10% KOing at 120%.

Up Special: Malicious Shroud
With no startup lag whatsoever, Sombra transforms into his shadow form, a black gaseous cloud with just his head emerging from it. As you may expect, this significantly decreases the size of his hitbox (the gas has literally none to speak of), but anything that does manage to strike his head deals double knockback. This won’t be easy, seeing as for the 5 seconds the transformation lasts, Sombra can move at an above average speed in any direction with very tight control, and he can even cancel the attack into his aerials at any moment, returning to his standard air game. To make things sweeter, he can cancel into this move from any attack that isn’t a special move or throw (his grab can still be canceled!). Unfortunately, there is 1 other key drawback to this move: It runs on a cooldown between uses, 8 seconds to precise. When the move is not available, the purple energy radiating from Sombra’s eyes will disappear.

With the defense penalty and the recharge time, this is far from the best recovery in the game. However, the cancelation potential within the transformation makes it an excellent technique for sustaining an offensive, whether it is to correct a poorly timed attack or to pursue an enemy for further pressure.

Down Special: Shadow Prison
Sombra laughs as a spherical burst of crystalline energy appears just in front of him, dealing 11% and KOing at 135%. This has .45 seconds of startup lag and low end lag. After the initial blast, 2 rotating rings of dark energy encircle the location of the attack for 10 seconds, or until Sombra performs this move again, with only 1 location able to be marked at a time.

Enemies struck by the initial attack, or those who wander through the leftover energy, are marked with dark crystal growths on their body. The crystals redden as the location’s marker counts down, and once time is up, all those marked are instantly transported to the location of the marker while taking 5% and flinching knockback. It’s possible to shield or dodge the “hit” of the attack, but the transportation still occurs. Don’t think that it’s a static 10 second timer either; if someone passes through the marker with 2 seconds left, they’ll be sent back 2 seconds later. If Sombra creates a new marker before the current one naturally expires, this extends the time before the transportation occurs as well, allowing him to really mess with his enemy’s sense of timing.

As one might expect, this is an invaluable attack for both creating and extending offensive momentum and combos, or even escaping if Sombra desires.

STANDARDS

Jab: Royal Backhoof

Sombra swipes horizontally with one of his front hooves, dealing 9% and flinching knockback that also pushes the enemy back slightly. If this is blocked, the enemy is pushed back more strongly, and despite being jab this actually deals decent shield damage. Below average startup lag, moderate end lag. If Sombra uses this move often and lands it 3 times in quick succession, during his idle animation he’ll wipe his hoof along the ground with a look of disgust on his face. Such filthy peasants…

Forward Tilt: Stare of Death
Sombra glares and releases a purple beam of energy from his eyes, comparable in size with the lasers in ROB’s final smash. This is an angleable tilt, and it deals 10% with horizontal knockback that KOs at 155%. Below average startup lag, moderate end lag, frame neutral shield stun. The beam is transcendent.

If this move is performed while Sombra is within his crystals, the horizontal range of the beam is doubled! Now it can be used as a more defensive poke in addition to its offensive capabilities. Of course, if one tries to bunker down in a little area of crystals, the range won’t do much to protect all the crystals the enemies CAN access. Perhaps it’s better to use the enhanced reach to lock-down an opponent for even better offensive pushes.

Up Tilt: In Blackest Night
Sombra looks upwards as he fires a narrow bolt of dark energy from his horn straight up. It reaches a surprisingly high distance, slightly less than Falco’s first jump, but in addition to its low horizontal range it also just deals 10% and flinching knockback, enough hitstun to cover the attack’s moderate end lag. It does have below average startup lag though, and if it hits a platform, well…

Firstly, a small glowing crystal appears where the bolt hit the platform, acting as an invulnerable beacon for 6 seconds. If there is infected ground underneath this crystal within a vertical distance of Falco’s first jump, a “vine” of crystals will begin to grow towards the beacon at a slow rate; it takes them 4 seconds to reach the beacon. Once they do reach it, a new permanent minor crystal spawns on the platform, officially adding it to your domain! This, of course, assumes that your enemy won’t attack the crystals trying to reach the beacon; 1 hit dismantles the vine, forcing it to start over. However, once a platform is already successfully infected, crystal vines will automatically grow between them to keep them linked to the main crystal, allowing the kingdom to spread and prosper. In fact, Sombra can even create beacons on platforms that already infected to create multiple linkage vines!

Down Tilt: Crystal Anchor
This is what Sombra's crouch looks like. It’s not a particularly effective crouch, but Sombra cares not for such trifle matters. He bows to no one!

For his DTilt, Sombra fires a thin beam from his horn at a 60 degree downwards angle, the beam itself looking slightly crystalized. It reaches up to 1.4x the length of Ike’s sword but it won’t continue through the ground (it will through enemies though!). It deals 10% with horizontal knockback that KOs at 145%, and if it’s shielded, pushes opponents back 1/6 of Battlefield. Low startup lag, moderate end lag.

This is a good move to escape from pressure or to end pressure safely. Its other benefit is seen when using the beam on other crystals in the kingdom. Small crystals and UTilt vines will suddenly double in size as they now takes 3 hits to destroy (or repair them if damaged in this state), and the main crystal will crackle with energy as it restores 20 HP. With this technique, Sombra can bolster the defenses of highly contested grounds, ensuring that he has the advantage when engaging the enemy at such locations.

Dash Attack: Jousting Tournament
Sombra lowers his head and charges forwards at a good speed for ¼ of Battlefield (stopping at platform edges), his horn glowing with raw power. Anyone caught in his way, takes 11% and can be KO’d at 135%, and Sombra ends the charge the moment he makes contact. This has below average startup lag and moderate end lag, and actually provides a slight frame advantage when shielded, making this a very valuable method of closing distance. Of course, the fact that the only hitbox on the move is our lord’s horn makes this attack easier to out-prioritize than most.

Then again, the instant Sombra’s hooves touch a piece of infected ground during the charge, his entire body takes on a purple tint as dark wind breaks against his hide, turning his entire body into a hitbox for the same damage as his horn! By the same token, he’ll lose this buff if he exits his hallowed ground during the attack, so do make it count.

SMASHES

Forward Smash: Royal Pain

With moderate startup lag, King Sombra lowers his head and thrusts his horn forwards, very similar to the image you see above. If he successfully connects with this attack, he’ll impale the heathen on his horn before charging forwards 1/3 of battlefield with them, only to hurl them off with powerful vertical knockback, capable of star KOing from 110-90%. Damage-wise, the initial horn attack deals a static 6%, but the throw at the end is affected by charge, damaging in the range of 7-10%.

The end lag of the attack is quite strange. If Sombra misses with the horn thrust, he only experiences moderate end lag. However, if he clashes against a shield, the recoil he receives increases the end lag to a full half-second! This is the perfect example of a situation to save shadow-form transformations for, turning this otherwise risky punisher into a mighty KO tool!

Up Smash: Ascending Power
Sombra’s horn glows red with power as he channels a large red sphere, growing from the size of a Pokeball to the size of Kirby as the move itself is charged. When released, the sphere is launched into the air 5x Ganondorf’s height at a high speed, lingering at the apex for 3 seconds before quickly heading straight towards the current location of the nearest enemy. The sphere disappears upon making contact with an enemy at any point in its life, or if it hits the stage during the aimed attack. It deals 9% and high hit-stun, and the projectile is transcendent, making this an excellent way to prepare an attack from afar. Moderate lag on both ends to conjuring the sphere.

Normally, if Sombra inputs this move with a sphere in play, he simply performs his UTilt. However, If Sombra is on infected ground with a sphere in play, his horn will have the same glow as when he was creating it. Now this input will cause him to teleport to the location of the sphere in a pair of red bursts of energy at his start and end locations. The burst is twice the size of the sphere and it deals 12% with vertical knockback that KOs at 95%. Teleporting has moderate lag on both ends, and cannot be charged, but the teleportation bursts are transcendent.

Down Smash: Dark Smash
Sombra’s horn glows purple as he stomps the ground with his front hooves, causing a ring of crystals to erupt from the ground, encircling him. They crystals are tall enough to reach from the main platform of Battlefield to the lower drop-through platforms, and they deal 10-20% while star KOing at 120-90%. After appearing, the crystals then wait for .35 seconds before “falling” away from Sombra, this time shattering upon hitting the ground. During this phase, they deal a static 10% and untechable knockdown. Sombra regains control as the second phase of the attack begins, and there is also moderate startup lag to starting the attack. If the move is shielded, the first hit deals enough shield-stun to shield-combo into the second, and the second deals good shield-stun in addition to pushing enemies back a noticeable distance.

If the attack is performed on infected ground, a dark bolt of energy will fire straight up from every crystal connected to Sombra’s location. These bolts deal 8% and star KO at 170%, and they travel upwards as high Luigi’s Super Jump Punch or until they hit something.

While this is a viable option for both starting and ending pressure, there is one notable weakness to the attack. The crystals Sombra summons are as fragile as those that link the kingdom, collapsing after a single blow despite absorbing the attack that destroyed them. Of course, if an enemy decides to try breaking through a crystal as it falls, Sombra can always punish it with an attack of his own.

AERIALS

Neutral Aerial: Crystal Ball
King Sombra curls up as a shell of crystals envelops him, spinning around as he travels through the air. This attack lasts for .5 seconds, dealing 5 hits of 2% and flinching knockback in that time. With below average startup lag and moderate end lag, it’s a very simple long-lasting attack for pressure purposes. Some might even say TOO simple.

Those who do, after they are be-headed, are then resurrected by our merciful king and informed of the secondary ability of this attack. Should Sombra strike the ground during the attack, his crystalline casing explodes, the flurry of shards dealing 7% and flinching knockback. More importantly, this deals massive hit-stun or shield-stun, enough to cover the above average landing lag that occurs when this phase of the attack activates. Come crashing down on grounded adversaries and show them the meaning of fear!

Forward Aerial: Spiteful Spark
Sombra’s lowers his head as his horn emits a spark of dark magic around itself for .4 seconds, dealing 4% and a paralyzer effect. The spark then channels into an electrical beam of magic that travels forwards ¼ of Battlefield, dealing 7% and KOing at 175%. This move has below average startup lag and moderate end lag, in addition to auto-canceling if Sombra lands during the spark phase of the attack. However, it has above average landing lag if Sombra lands after that.

If Sombra is within his kingdom when firing the beam, it will curve towards the nearest target, as well as deal enhanced shield-stun. While the move is still punishable if performed in close-range, this allows Sombra to use it in a more defensive manner when he has captured some ground, bombarding his foes with magical artillery.

Back Aerial: Punishment
Sombra’s smoky tail hardens into a crystalized whip as he, well, whips it backwards at a slightly downwards angle. This deals 9% and KOs at 150%. It also has moderate startup lag and below average end lag, Sombra able to act while his tail returns to normal; in fact, if the move is performed again before Sombra’s tail fully reverts, it will have lowered startup time to take into account the partial transformation. If performed over infected ground, Sombra’s tail triples in length, now having enough range to be truly worthy of being called a whip! With this and the angle of the move, Sombra can strike a grounded foe from surprising distances while safe from harm.

Up Aerial: Dulled Armor
Sombra stabs upwards with his horn, dealing 10% and star KOing at 180%. This has below average startup lag and moderate end lag, but it covers a decent frontal area as Sombra moves his head in a swinging motion, giving it good anti-air capabilities if you short-hop it. Speaking of short-hopping, if Sombra performs this attack within an infected area, armor-like crystals will envelop his head, with this makeshift helmet providing a single hit of super-armor. This makes the move very useful in an aerial battle, as Sombra can now out-prioritize other aerial attacks when he would normally trade blows.

Down Aerial: Screeching Thunder
Sombra’s aerial momentum stalls as he fires a bolt of dark energy straight down. It looks nearly identical to the bolt in his UTilt, though it travels infinitely and deals but 8% and flinching knockback in addition to stopping at the first thing it hits. It has low startup lag and moderate end lag.

As you might have guessed, striking ground with the attack rather than an enemy will create a crystal beacon on the underside of the platform. However, rather than draw the energy of crystals to it, this time the beacon itself will send a crystalline chain downwards at a moderate speed for 3 seconds. If it manages to connect to another piece of the kingdom in that time frame, the platform with the beacon will permanently integrate itself. Be warned, though, that this crystal growth is extremely vulnerable as it desperately tries to join the main group; if it takes a hit, even the beacon itself is destroyed.

THROWS

Grab: Shadow’s Embrace
King Sombra’s grab is familiar and yet unwieldy. His horn glows with unholy magic as a sphere of darkness envelops a location the size of Kirby, ¼ of Battlefield in front of him and half Olimar’s height above the ground. Upon successfully grabbing something, the sphere hardens into a crystal-like surface, trapping the enemy inside. The grab has moderate lag on both ends, but the biggest drawback of this grab is that Sombra cannot rely on it when an enemy is in his face, an unfortunate blow to his majesty’s defenses.

Pummel: Shatter
Sombra uses his magical powers to burst pieces of the foe’s prison, dealing 3.5% at a moderate rate. He can do this up to 6 times in a single grab, but each time he performs it, the grab becomes 7% easier to escape. On the 6th use, this actually becomes Sombra’s most powerful attack, as the final burst deals enough vertical knockback to star KO at 80%! Of course, if he can pull that off, the enemy is probably at the point they would die from just about anything anyway. Still, it is a rather strong pummel even without the final hit.

Forward Throw: Almighty Spike
Sombra stomps the ground with one hoof, hurling his enemy into the ground at a 30 degree downwards angle. This deals 9% and a knockdown normally, but if he throws his enemy into another foe or one of his crystals, the damage increases to 13% and the “bystander” also takes a knockdown, though this one is teachable, but this will destroy the crystal if it’s not the main one. Yes, this can spike enemies into pits if possible, giving Sombra a frightening edge-guarding game.

Back Throw: Flashy and Functional
Sombra summons several small crystals from the ground, hurling them into his foe from behind for 9% and knockback towards Sombra that KOs at 195%. Not a very strong throw unless it’s performed with Sombra inside his domain, in which case the crystals he summoned start to orbit their master for up to 10 seconds. The next attack Sombra performs in this time frame will have the crystals join in the attack, causing it to deal an extra 2%. This minor bonus is enough for most of Sombra’s moveset to go from below average to average in damage, and this bonus is applied before the infection damage multiplier, making sending the overall damage even higher!


Up Throw: Ritualistic Preparation
Sombra subtly lifts his head, hurling his enemy upwards thrice Ganondorf’s height, before their encasing turns into a high-voltage blast of energy, stunning them for .6 seconds. This deals a mere 7%, but sets-up potential combos or gives Sombra a chance to tend to his crystals.

Down Throw: Chains of Darkness
Sombra launches a magical chain from his hoof into his enemy, destroying the grab crystals and dealing 6% with flinching knockback as a shackle appears on his foe and connects to the chain. When the throw is done, Sombra keeps the chain attached to his horn, effectively binding the 2 combatants together. The chain extends up to ½ of Battlefield, with the characters pulling each other along in a priority system: movement attacks > knockback > dashing > walking > standing still, with Sombra winning if both characters are at the same stage of priority. The chain otherwise does not affect the characters.

The chain lasts for 10 seconds or until Sombra lands another grab. Since this throw deals the least damage of Sombra’s, it’s not advised to constantly refresh the chain unless he’s facing a character who needs to play keep-away to succeed.

FINAL SMASH – CRYSTAL RULE

Sombra laughs as the sky/stage darkens, and the entire stage becomes absolutely infested with crystals! This not only turns the entire stage into infected mode, but the crystals will perpetually regenerate until the final smash ends, which is after 13 seconds. Sombra also gets a brand new neutral special during his final smash, in which he launches a cluster of energized crystals forwards at a high speed, dealing 12% and KOing at 90%. These crystals travel infinitely, through the stage and other players, and deal high shield-damage. This has moderate startup and end lag.

When the final smash ends, the stage returns to its previous stage, but his kingdom has expanded one crystals’ worth in every possible direction. His main crystal is also fully healed. If you’re going to have a mechanic-boosting final smash, may as well go all-out with it!

PLAYSTYLE

Here we have a tyrant with ranged magic, including a set-up stage-control move that can theoretically cover an entire stage. Yet rather than hopelessly camp from across the stage, Sombra buys time for his mechanic through actively going after his foes, forcing them to be too worried for their own safety to even think about dismantling the ever-growing threat of Sombra’s crystal domain.

Ideally, his royal highness desires his main crystal to be placed in the center of the largest platform of the land. No sense in wasting the dual-direction of the kingdom’s expansion. Yet doing this places the crystal in a more vulnerable position, creating a greater demand for the king to be ever vigilant in defending it. Sombra’s offensive capabilities are reputable, but under normal circumstances it comes in bursts rather than a truly constant barrage.

As the kingdom expands, Sombra’s powers not only become more powerful offensively, but many of them also acquire defensive utilities as well! Now he can sit back and poke his foe to regain any damage disadvantage until he is ready to close-in once more for the final blow. Sombra has substantial prowess for finishing-off adversaries, but at the same time he will find it difficult to recover if his opponent catches him vulnerable.

Translation for the peasants: Sombra is a set-up character who wants to play offensively to get time for his set-up, using bursts of pressure to keep his enemy from attacking the crystals. He can choose to play more defensively after he’s set-up, though he still wants to be aggressive in order to take advantage of his strong KO abilities. His biggest weakness is his poor defensive abilities without set-up, and he’s always easy to KO due to his average weight and poor recovery.

Free-For-Alls
Sombra’s kingdom won’t spread very far in a FFA battle, but that’s ok because his arsenal of ranged magic allows him to poke at enemies until he’s ready to enter the fray for the killing blow. NAir, boosted UAir, and DSmash give him valuable crow control, while a boosted USmash is great for escaping a fight. Shadow Prison is a hilarious kill-stealing move, literally pulling enemies away from the blast zone so Sombra can kill them instead.

Doubles
Sombra isn’t a big fan of team battles because of friendly fire destroying his precious crystals. The main thing Sombra brings to a team is really strong KO set-ups. His partner can set-up a main crystal detonation and Shadow Prison can set-up both himself and a teammate. Speaking of Shadow Prison, Sombra can use it save allies if friendly fire is on, so pair him with a heavyweight and watch as their stocks never go down. Let’s not forget the potential when paired with a character who can make it harder for an enemy to escape a grab…

Capture the Flag
Sombra gets plenty of preemptive set-up for his kingdom thanks to the opening phase of a CTF match. Unfortunately, he has to play defense if he wants to actually utilize it. Instead, try assisting the frontlines and do as much as possible before enemies show up at the base, using Sombra’s crystal effects to quickly defeat flag carriers. In theory, find a patch of ground big enough and Sombra can spread his influence through multiple camera zones!

EXTRAS

Side Taunt: Sombra holds a hoof to his mouth as he lets out an evil chortle. If he had just scored a KO in the last 3 seconds, this taunt changes to raw maniacal laughter.

Up Taunt: Sombra summons a few small crystals that orbit him for a few seconds, a trail black sparkles following them.

Down Taunt: Sombra licks his lips in anticipation of…winning I guess? I don’t know, it’s just a reference to something he did in the show that I found humorous!

All-Star Clear Screen
 

Katapultar

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
1,251
Location
Australia
[collapse="King Sombra"]Wasn't expecting this. I thought this guy was an OC until I read his bio. I also thought he was a throwback to Queen Chrysalis, but that was just the picture at the end. Anyone will tell you that the premise of this set is similar to Garble's, as they both pressure their opponent with shield-frame-neutral stuff until help arrives. In King Sombra's case though, he already has some decent power and projectile-like standards, though you seem to make a point about many of them being slow.

I think the playstyle's a bit under-elaborated, though it does make itself clear as to Sombra's intentions. Because of his Crystal Domain affecting a bit of the air and U-tilt/U-Smash projectiles, Sombra wants to use moves like his F-Smash and U-throw to knock enemies upwards before juggling them, finishing off with an U-air. If the enemy is very high up, use U-Smash, but if they're close, use U-tilt. The idea of a character who transitions from a close-up game to a ranged one after having knocked an enemy away flows a lot, though I'm not sure if the admittedly cool Side Special contributes that much to the gameplan - it's nice that the former has a second purpose of walling off enemies and protecting the main crystal, though it also blocks enemies from being pushed away by stuff like the F-tilt and your F-air projectile (I guess it could be used as an anchor point with a successful F-Smash though seeing as how Sombra runs during such). Although he can manually detonate it, perhaps Sombra should be allowed to break his crystal by knocking foes into it to inflict more damage on them, or have it automatically shatter into pieces that pelt at foes next to it to follow up into other moves? (such as the Dash Attack)

Projectile-standards are always fun for representing a villainous character's power, though it seems a tad awkward to put one onto the F-air when adhering to gravity would make it difficult to aim. With such an emphasis on projectile attacks, perhaps you could have given Sombra a basic projectile for his Side Special, maybe swap the current one to the Down Special (the current one is a cool move, though it seems a bit hard to use and its use in the set is questionable, even if you do speak of its uses outside of 1v1). I don't see any problem with Sombra having a crystal beam attack for the Side Special that powers up when it passes through infected domain or when Sombra is close to his crystal, as say a method of dealing with enemies trying to stay away from the infected areas or recovering (he can also use it either on the ground or in the air, though I guess he can't use it from his Up Special unlike his current projectile attacks). As it stands, sure, Sombra could go in for the kill close-up, but then he'll have to scuttle back to his crystal and the respawning foe could attack it, or somebody else in a FFA setting. It's up to you though, as you often know what you're doing with these playstyles.

What Sombra tries to do makes sense, though I'm a little unsure on how all the Specials come together due to the shortness of the playstyle section. It's hard to see the big picture on these kinds of sets otherwise, as I do like this set, but could possibly like it more. Also, the Down Taunt was humorous for some reason.[/collapse]
 

Davidreamcatcha

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
629
Smile GothaMYM! Smiiiiile!

Forward Aerial should totally be called BAT-A-TAT-TAT. Also, the flag lasting 20 seconds is a...bit much even if it can be removed after a second and a half unattended. I do like the basic idea of Joker's playstyle, as he passes plenty of gas and has some fine prone abuse, and I like the simplicity in areas, like the crowbar. At the same time, it feels heavily flawed at time: The aforementioned throw flag for 20 seconds is a bit long, the Up Aerial seems a bit wasted(Throw canister up, get gas in the air without UAir), the Dash Attack feels somewhat awkward outside of it's interaction with F-Smash to me, the F-Smash itself being a generic tripping trap for 6 seconds I am iffy on, but I'm ultimately fine with it for it's playstyle relevence...

In my opinion, the low point of the set is boss mode and hulked up Joker. I really wish there was more than just four Specials changed, especially as many of the standards seem awkward for said Joker version. I'd love to see more of a complete/semi-complete transformation. And maybe have it last a bit longer too: The flag lasts longer than it!

I'm honestly unsure how to feel about this set. I think it has a lot more feel, a lot more flair than you normally have, hopefully that doesn't sound insulting, but despite this being made quickly it has a Joker feel to it.
The flag could be nerfed by 5 seconds...which I'll go do right now.

The thing about the up aerial is that you're pretty specifically trying to hit the foe with the gas from it - just throwing the canister straight up into the air leads to them just DI-ing/using a weak attack to knock it downwards. Especially since you are going to be wasting a canister doing it - just throwing one will lead to all your hard work being dismantled, and producing one and throwing it up into the air is a terribly predictable move considering how long it takes (never mind how quickly that can be avoided with all the stall and fall DAirs in MYM)

Yeah, boss mode is pretty terrible. No objections. The idea was that only the four specials would be used, though apparently people are misinterpreting that.

The Joker
Is it okay if I question your logic in making a "definitive" set for such a relevant character in three and a half hours? I mean, this isn't the kind of set you rush, given how iconic he is and how you wanted to make it as a tribute. If you're happy with it the way it is I won't argue, but it's just kind of bizarre.

The set has a halfway interesting basis in the gas canisters, serving an actual fair number of purposes. Some prone abuse stuff, passive poison gas, and a chain reaction explosive all in one. I never really feel the set picks up too much after that though. The remainder of the specials just consists of a grab which admittedly has some decent playstyle relevance with the get-up attacks, a way to just double up poison damage that isn't particularly interesting, and an awkward as hell pair of teeth he controls with a Wii U controller. Seriously, where did that come from? I'm not really a fan of just having multiple moves to make them drop the items either, only one really seems necessary, and I find it awkward that the bullet just makes them drop it either way. The set really just devolves into a bunch of different threads in later moves too, not really tying together all that well as you go separate ways with the gas and chain reaction, with their being a single link in the Down Smash that I admittedly slightly like, but the set's already perfectly capable of creating big explosions with the gas cannisters to start with. The aerials feel truly rushed though, with stuff like just creating a puff of gas that flies upwards on Uair, as Froy mentioned, and having a Dair literally ripped from Geto's first moveset ever. They don't flow into his gameplan in any meaningful way, other than generic spacing that any move with knockback could do.

I probably sound too much like I'm trying to hate the set here, yes, but I did think it was very uninteresting aside from a couple things that I feel other sets have done better(chain reaction traps) and honestly most of it feels out of place. It's nothing too offensive though sans the aerials and the chattering teeth... and the boss mode. The boss mode is an absolute mess. I know he has minions now, but the only real link into the minions is stalling for time and literally one move to throw them. A few of Joker's moves also generically hit multiple opponents and aren't even buffed. What you do buff for this boss mode is, well, giving Joker bigger range and duration on his attacks. Joker's not particularly powerful to begin with(given his lack of any good close range moves sans maybe the crowbar, I honestly think he's pretty UP), and all you really do is give him a few minions and buff the duration of some poison. The things you actually add in the boss mode are pretty terrible and show they were written in like 10 minutes, with a giant transformation that takes 5 seconds with no invulnerability or anything(your minions will not protect you that long, trust me) that still doesn't turn him into nearly a viable boss and is awkwardly using regular Joker's attacks in addition to some incredibly lazy specials that really aren't powerful enough to justify the ridiculous downsides to transforming. As well as Shield attacks while you take away his dodges, which he very, very desparately needs when you don't have the courtesy to give him immunities. You have minions yes, but they aren't particularly competent and no way are they holding the foe off for -5- seconds or not getting destroyed quickly due to their lack of a recovery. The other 2 shield attacks are generic as hell powerful attacks that have nothing to do with Joker's game. Honestly, the set would be better if you didn't have the boss mode at all.

In spite of my intense loathing of the boss mode, I will say the set did grow on me a little commenting it, as if you squint there's a bit of depth here. But... I don't really feel there's anything strong enough to justify the concepts which sans one slight prone abuse trick are just reused.
He was made as a solo set in a day - the basic concepts and moves were worked out in previous versions when he was still a duo set. And considering the other half of it was a Geto tribute and he loved it, I think I've succeeded.

The Wii U controller was meant as a joke - he would ideally be controlling it with whatever controller you're playing the game on, which in this case, would be assumed to be the Wii U. And really? "The set's already capable of making big explosions" - if you've let the gas spread out far enough, that's going to be your biggest explosion. In fact, this comment is pretty much an emphasis of the negativity seen within MYM nowadays - considering in the chat you were talking about how you enjoyed the CTF changes but that's never even glanced over in the comment.
 

FrozenRoy

Smash Lord
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,260
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Switch FC
SW-1325-2408-7513
You said he got a new set of Specials, but didn't mention anything about the other moves, so I figured he kept his moveset. He should probably get some non-Specials for boss mode.
 

BKupa666

Barnacled Boss
Moderator
Joined
Aug 12, 2008
Messages
7,788
Location
Toxic Tower
THE JOKER
At long last, a modern compilation-based Joker has found its place in MYM, and as a compilation set, it fills its purpose well. His most prominent appearances are accounted for, and pieced into the set fairly well. At a surface level, I also enjoy his characterization, which manifests itself both through the attacks themselves (this was most notable within the standards) as well as the writing style (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA). In terms of playstyle...I'm conflicted to some extent. The stage occupation has its delicious elements of uncertainty through the canister denotation segments, as well as the option to slide them around through F-Smash water. At times, however, the Joker's methods for luring characters into those traps don't necessarily feel like luring, but forceful pushing, which is at odds with Joker's gambit-based characterization in the franchise. In addition, the boss moveset feels cobbled together, compared to the rest of the set, as though it wasn't designed with an alternate playstyle in mind, but moreso an intensified version of the main set. Joker has enough good and bad in it to leave me feeling rather neutral about it, albeit with a lingering appreciation that it exists.

KING SOMBRA
Ho ho HR...a Merry Christmas gift from you indeed. The parallels to your last set from that one show about ponies are all too familiar. Sombra's establishment of a shadowy kingdom fit him as snugly as Garble's bullying moves fit him. Though the individual buffs he receives from his crystalline creations aren't -that- compelling, the notion of occupying the stage with them is a strong one, since it provides the King with numerous openings to punish attackers as they busy themselves destroying the crystals. There is also an element of strategy behind placing the key main crystal, and though I wish it were expanded upon, its existence is laudable. In terms of slowly building up power over time, Sombra has elements of Lucario that still stray on the simplistic side, though, like Garble as well, this is part of its charm. Sombra accomplishes what it set out to accomplish, and is content with that, thank you very much.
 

JOE!

Smash Hero
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
8,075
Location
Dedham, MA
JOE'S MYMini CHALLENGE

Hey all, JOE! here with an idea to bring some activity to the thread while we wait for the next batch of sets: a weekly Mini event emulating the actual design process a character would go through to get into a fighting game such as smash.

Unlike normal minis, the challenge minis will build upon each other to create the finished product. At the due date of each part, I will collect the entries together and judge them similarly to the rankings various people have done. Judging will be based on things such as creativity, balance, practicality, etc, and each week the submissions will be averaged to create each entrant's overall score. At the end of the process, the top two entries will be put up for the community to vote upon, with the winner receiving glory and a custom avatar/signature from me!

Now for the premise of the first ever challenge:



THE BEST OFFENSE...

Is a good defense! The first Challenge Mini revolves around ways a character can defend themselves or otherwise play defensively. The catch however being that they must focus on the "5 types" of defense listed below.

EVASION
Put simply, the ability to not get hit at all. Evasion generally comes in two flavors: avoiding hits via movement/dodging, or blocking attacks with a shield/clash to stop it from hitting you. Arguably the best form of defense, evasion is also infamous for being black and white in that it either works or it does nothing.

NEGATION
Best visualized as "negative damage", negation is subtracted from incoming damage. For example, a character with 3 negation subtracts 3 from all damage, turning 5 into 2, and leaving them immune to 3 and below.

RESISTANCE
Where the last entry provides a flat barrier against damage, resistance makes the damage itself smaller. For example, a character with 50% resists would turn 2 damage into 1, as well as 30 into 15.

ABSORPTION
This type is generally seen in overshields and such, and acts like a secondary HP for the character. There are a few varieties of this, but most common are regenerating shields and temporary boosts to the character's max HP to let them take a few extra hits worry free. Many forms also carry bonuses or negatives based on the current amount of absorption, such as being stunned when it runs out!

HEALING
Last but not least, after all is said and done, why not just recover the HP you lost? Usually seen in bursts or regenerated over time, healing's only downside is that it requires you to have gotten damaged to work!



WEEK 1:
THE PITCH

Create a central concept using only 2 of the 5 defenses listed, with one being a primary focus and the other being a weaker secondary. This will be the "hook" for your character's playstyle down the road.

Submissions shouldn't be too long, a paragraph should be fine. You should be able to get accross what the defenses are and how exactly they use them.



:phone:

:phone:
 

Davidreamcatcha

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
629
Post these in the thread or PM them to you?

KING SOMBRA
As I mentioned in the recap - Sombra is almost similar to the Joker in the way that he has this main thing that's constantly spreading across the stage. Not that it's a bad thing: for an tyrannical king like Sombra, it works just fine and manages to come off more interesting than Joker's. While the way that the Dark Crystals work is interesting, I do wish that you did more interesting things with the buffs he's given - much of what Sombra is given in the areas is just buffed damage/range on a few attacks (as well as a movement speed buff that doesn't really seem relevant if you don't think about it - though it could come in handy for defending your main crystal, with you able to quickly get to it if it's being attacked)

There are a few awkward things in there: the up smash in particular, as I mentioned to you in chat, especially since the only thing that's increased upon charge is the size of the projectile (which really doesn't make any difference IMO). I would suggest moving it to a special but it seems like nothing there really could be changed around. And this is in no way a complaint - but considering this is very obviously done for a character you enjoy, I was almost a bit surprised you never quite went to the level of extras/fanservice Garble did. Even if I personally think this is a bland character, you did a great job representing him in Smash and set up a fairly interesting playstyle to boot - though it's one that could probably use a bit of improvement.
 

Hyper_Ridley

Smash Champion
Joined
Dec 21, 2007
Messages
2,288
Location
Hippo Island
Joker

So 2 sets get posted on the same page, with some similar stuff, and now they're being commented less than an hour apart by each other's authors :bee:.

The set's strongest point is characterization. Attacks keep alternating between silly and sadistic, and gameplay-wise this is a character that definitely makes sense being more set-up heavy. I like how his KO methods intertwine so he has multiple ways to work towards his end-game, but I feel he could use a bit of a damage buff, as right now it feels like matches with him would drag on even when he's getting his stuff going.

I enjoyed his CTF/1v3 changes. I toyed with CTF changes back in MYMX with Yorick, but this set handled it in a cooler way. This seems like a much nicer alternative to making CTF-exclusive characters. As for the boss mode, while Titan Joker is probably UP, I like that boss Joker is more about smaller buffs and having his own team to work with. I also like replacing dodges with shield-moves, since regular ground doges are way too punishable in a 1v3 setting. I should totally copy that for Grimlock (smirk2)

Overall, nice Geto tribute and it's nice to finally see a fully-realized Joker moveset.
 

Kholdstare

Nightmare Weaver
Joined
Oct 10, 2008
Messages
1,439
Good idea, JOE.



Luckily My Shield Will Protect Me

"Oak and iron, guard me well
Or else I'm dead and doomed to Hell"

Andal Proverb, A Song of Ice and Fire

Brawl's shield is simple and effective, but not very exciting to the casual player. It's an indiscriminate bubble shield. I'm sure there are competitive mechanics to shields but we don't have time for that bullshit. What I'm going to do is create a secondary shield mechanic for characters who actually have a physical shield.

If you've played Dark Souls, you know about the shield mechanic in it, which is what I'm translating into Smash. Shields provide excellent protection against attacks, deflecting sword and arrow blows and allowing you to counter-attack your enemies while they're in recoil, and many provide 100% reduction in damage from physical attacks. Blocking also drains your character's stamina, and when you run out of stamina, you're open to attacks. Now, Smash doesn't have stamina, but there is a dizzy state.

Characters with shields can block their front, taking no damage or knockback from attacks. They're basically invincible- from the front. Their backs, top, and bottom are still vulnerable. If they get hit in the front while blocking enough or with enough force, their invisible stamina will be depleted, and they'll enter dizzy state. Strangely enough, the amount or force of attacks is almost the same as the amount or force of attacks it would take to break their bubble shield. Instant shield breaking or shield draining attacks also work the same. So how is this an upgrade? It's basically the same as the bubble shield but with less coverage!

Here's where it gets interesting. Coming in and out of shield state is much quicker with "realistic" shield instead of bubble shield. That's not all. Double tapping the shield input instead of single tapping to block an attack or holding it in will make the character do a parry with their shield. It's like a shield bash but kind of smacking to the side instead of straight. This shield counts as a hitbox. Now, clashing attacks by parrying, as in hitting an opponent's hitbox with the parry hitbox of your shield will knock them off balance and stun them briefly. You have a half second window to counter-attack the opponent, or "riposte" them. A riposte will do double the damage/knockback/effects of the attack you chose! This takes skill to do, as you have to predict the opponent's action and be close enough to be hit by one of their attacks to succeed in the maneuver. But if you have the balls, it's very profitable.

This can be turned on and off in the options menu, but it will be useful for a particular moveset...

Category: Evasion and Negation
 

Davidreamcatcha

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
629
Davian User Rankings #1

Someone mentioned to me in a Private Chat that this might be a good way to bring back activity - considering all the free time I've now been so generously alloted by MW/Smady/FA, why not? Hopefully it's accurate enough, though it may be somewhat rough considering it was all done in one sitting by one person. Let me know if you spot any errors.

For those unfamiliar with the User Rankings, here's how it works. Every Monday, I'll be compiling the entire of the last week's activity in the thread and showing off, just who is the most active member? The point of this exercise is to recognize the most dedicated among us – those make your movers who are currently pushing the boundaries, as well as highlighting all movesets made by them. The one who tops the list at the end of the contest will win a prize from me - what is this prize? Not gonna spoil it, but lets just say it will be worth your while.


To get on this list, you need to have made a moveset in this or a previous Make Your Move, as well as having posted in the Make Your Move 13 thread. The breakdown of points is as follows:

30 points for a Moveset
5 points for a Comment
4 points for a Secondary Submission
2 points for a Secondary Submission Comment
1 point for a Regular Post
+Regular Posts do not stack
+Secondary Submissions are MYminis, Joke Movesets, Reposts and other miscellaneous submissions

Katapultar: 560 - Athena, Madolche, Ghetsis, Young Xehanort, Luke Atmey, Putata, Tabitha, Yukiki, Mistleteinn
ForwardArrow: 457 - H.N. Elly, Lizard, The Scout
FRoy: 454 - Cold Enchanter, Beastman, Randy Johnson, Gatstaf (Shepherd, Howler), Headless Horseman
WoMF: 439 - Larfleeze, Trixie, Gigalith, Derpy Hooves
JOE!: 255 Ace Trainer Joe (Alakazam, Feraligatr, Breloom, Porygon Z, Bisharp, Armantle)
Davidreamcatcha: 247 - Princess Bubblegum, Ashens, Stromboli, Strong Bad, The Pyro, The Joker
Junahu: 231 - Mike Dawson, Clumsy Assassin, Yoshika, Kamella, Sakuya Izayoi
Smady: 211 - The Soldier
Kholdstare: 182 - Aquaman, Queen Chrysalis, Ember
Agidius: 169 - Pharaoh Man, The Heavy, Rose
MasterWarlord: 161 - Ashens, Clayton, Stromboli, Koala Kong
Kupa: 151 - Willy Wonka, The Medic, Lord Voldemort
Hyper_Ridley: 142 - Garble, Grimlock, King Sombra
Getocoolaid: 104 - Kammy, Flim and Flam, Shang Tsung
Big Mac: 95 - Zak Gramarye, The Sniper, Uka Uka
Nicholas1024: 92 - Bubbleman.EXE, Flashman.EXE, Drillman.EXE
Bionichute: 91 - Soundwave, Bigfoot, Mr. Dark
DM: 85
Tirkaro: 64 - Gwyndolin, Creeper
Conren: 49 - Magnemite
emergency: 46 - Sakuya Izayoi
n88_2004: 41 - Spiral
SmashShadow: 34 - Arsenal Primid
Peanut: 34 - Nyx Assassin
peeup: 32 - George Washington
Majora_787: 32 - Sawtooth and Squarewave
Plorf: 31 - Dark Meta Knight
Really Shy Guy: 31 - Lady Gaga
Xiroey: 31 - Zigzagoon
ManlySpirit: 31 - Lyn
Koric: 30 - Witch
Violenceman: 30 - The Thief
BladeKnight: 15
SirKibble: 8 - Wind Waker Bang Head Against Wall Guy
TheSundanceKid: 7
Lucidthought: 3
Diamondfox: 2
Smashbot: 2
Waver: 2
Sonic the Baron: 1
lordvaati: 1
 

Katapultar

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
1,251
Location
Australia
Good job bringing back the User Rankings, and for going through the trouble of adding up the totals. It's better for them to exist even this way than for them not to, as they gave me a lot of my incentive last contest.

Froy's missing Headless Horseman, Kupa's points are in bold and missing a "-", and ManlySpirit's points are after Lyn instead of before.
 

Kholdstare

Nightmare Weaver
Joined
Oct 10, 2008
Messages
1,439
Actual user rankings? These seem like actual user rankings to me.

Also #9 mother****er **** yea

And yes, JOE, the shield is both evasion of damage (parry) and negation of damage (100% damage reduction).
 

Davidreamcatcha

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
629
Added the changes mentioned by Katapultar. We musn't piggyback on the hard work of others, Smady - especially since you discontinued your Rankings earlier this contest.
 

Smady

Smash Master
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
3,306
Location
K Rool Avenue
You took the concept and outright copy pasted parts without asking, plus only half the real work.

Though I do like how this theft makes it 'Davian.' Quite fitting.
 

JOE!

Smash Hero
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
8,075
Location
Dedham, MA
Anyone else read Smady's posts in the voice of his Avatar? :p

Also, I'll just jot down Khold's as Primary: Negation, Secondary: Evasion as the parry is situational compared to the main shield's utility...

And now for my example submission as some have requested, to give you all a bit more of an idea of what to do. (I'll make an example each week, it wont be judged or anything, just for fun.)

RESTORATION SHIELD

The character can create an overshield around themselves worth 25%, indicated by their % gauge being replaced with a green "25". While this shield is up, and at max value, the character's HP will slowly regenerate at a rate of about 1% every 3/4 seconds. Pressing the input again will refresh the overshield, but if it is shattered the character will take extra KB for a short amount of time, as well as be unable to use the shield again for 30 seconds.

Primary:
Absorption
Secondary: Healing
 
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