~HOW TO DEAL WITH META KNIGHT~
So at the moment we're all having our troubles with Meta Knight and have to learn the match-up. To make things easier I will gather all the knowledge about this match-up in this thread. Some of the stuff is still unconfirmed - I'm still waiting for Jimbo to do the frame rate data for MK but I'm sure it won't take long. He's a relible guy
HIS MOVES
In this section I will cover each of MKs moves and how to deal with it. To keep things a little simpler: Fire Breath will beat all of MKs moves if timed right but it will never happen due to the long startup lag. You can use it as a camping tool though. I won't mention the fire Breath anymore in the move section, since it's always the same.
- Neutral A: Not much to say here. You won't face this attack too often, since it's not a very good move. It has good range and priority but ftilt and dtilt will always beat it.
- Ftilt: This is the only move you can't beat "Face to Face". None of Bowsers moves will ever beat it. However, it's still not too hard to deal with. A shielded Ftilt is a guaranteed Fortress and if you learn the timing you can even roll behind him + punish.
- Dtilt: A nasty move, that can be really devastating if you don't know how to deal with it. It apparently has IASA frames from frome 15 onwards (unconfirmed). There is a way to deal with it though. What you have to do: Shield the dtilt and drop your shield. No matter what move MK follows up with, Bowser will always powershield it which gives him a free fortress. If he uses the Tornado things get a bit more troublesome but you should be able to shield the dtilt and beat the Tornado with Ftilt. This is something you have to learn: Always shield the dtilt. If it's max ranged, he can only use a dtilt. Powershield it. If he doesn't have max range you can shield it and follow with the ftilt or the fortress which wins in most cases.
- Utilt: An underused move. I never see it used very often and it doesn't seem to troublesome. He will use it when you're above him - a situation you should avoid and will be covered later. Avoid it if you're in the air. On the ground ftilt easily outranges it.
- Fsmash: Most MKs use it devensively. It has some startup lag but almost no ending lag at all. Treat it as you would treat a dtilt: Shield it, drop your shield and the next attack will almost always be a powershield. Then you can punish him. Don't try to interupt him when he charges it, it works almost never.
- Dsmash: MKs most reliable finisher against Bowser. If you DI well he needs his dsmash to be fresh at all costs and even then you can still survive up to 150%. A shielded dsmash is always a frree Klaw apparently (according to MrEh) so play as defensively as possible, when you see it coming. It's a very unsafe move for MK
- Usmash: Not a move you'll see very often. It's pretty much the same as utilt but more punishable. It seems Bowser can DI out of it before the last hit hits but I'm not 100% sure.
- NAir: It has KO potential but it seems to need a sweetspot hit. It comes out extremely fast and will most likely be used to gimp you. If he uses it otherwise shield -> Sh Fair should do a good job. You can beat it face to face but it's so fast....it is highly unlikely to work.
- Fair: Appears to be DIable but again I'm not 100% sure how well it works with Bowser. Either way you can Shield -> Fortress. It has little endig lag but is still punishable due to it's long animation.
- Bair: Quite similar to fair but a little harder to punish. However it's easier to beat with an angled ftilt than MK's fair.
- Uair: A very disruptive move. It comes out on frame 2 and has little ending lag. However, it'll only hit you when your above him, a situaion you'll learn to void soon enough.
- Dair: A very popular move among MK players, as it allows MK to camp in the air above the opponent while pressuring their shields. Good news: Utilt and Usmash can beat it. Usmash will almost always win but it's harder to pull off than Utilt. You'll have to learn the timin for Utilt though. If he uses Dair in midair it seems that a rising uair can beat it, something MKs don't expect usually (unconfirmed)
- Tornado: One of MKs most feared moves among newbies. Most pro players are well aware that it's a very unsafe move though. Many characters can just DI up+away and punish the Tornado without even shielding it. Unfortunately Bowser is one of those characters who can't DI out (DK and Dedede are the others) so either shield + punish it with fortress if syou have a full shield or beat it with ftilt. This is where the ftilt becomes vital. If your shield is weak you'll have to predict the tornado. Fortunately, ftilt and dtilt are the only moves that Bowser ftilt can't beat and both moves can be powershielded. This is a crucial move to learn. The better you can deal with it the more managable the match-up will be.
- Drill Rush: Can be beaten by Dtilt. If he uses it to recover, you'll get an easy gimp with it
- Dimensional Cape: I've never seen anyone use it. A shielded hit is easy to punish and it's rather predictable.
- Shuttle Loop: Arguably the hardest move to deal with. It has invincibility frames on frame 5. Then the hitbox comes out and it has transcending priority (only Wolfs blaster can beat it apparently), which mean you have to beat it on frame 1 - 4 which is not possible. Shield or Spotdodge it and MK is in a very awkward position. Before he enters the gliding animation his downside is completely exposed to attacks. The best way is to spotdodge / powershield -> Sh Fair before he gets to use his glide attack. The best way to use it is out of Shield. Since Bowser outcamps MK, this senario shouldn't occur too often.
- Glide attack: Don't even try to beat it. It's easy to see coming. Just shield it. It's not spammable and all following moves can be beaten by the fortress.
This list will be constantly updated. The more input I'll get the more complete this list will become.
GENERAL TACTICS
These are standard tactics and how to deal with MKs tactics...
- Camping: There are 3 things Bowser has to do to win: Camp, camp and camp. You can always force MK to approach and as soon as he tries to camp just use the Fire Breath. Your Shield has to take a lot of hits here, since a Fortress or a Klaw out of Shield is almost always a guaranteed hit - and it deals 16%+.
- Shield Pressure/poking: MK will put your shield under constant pressure, as he has to be the active character in this battle. Few characters can deal with Shieldpressure as good as Bowser does. Try to interrupt him with the Fortress whenever you can
- Edgeguarding: A troublesome but important issue to tackle. MK is the best edgeguard in the game but Bowser can deal with it surprisingly well. Good DI is a requirement as it guarantees you to survive up to 150%. Also you should always DI upwards when knocked off the stage. Try to get in a high position, which is where you can return to the stage almost always safely. Since MK has poor mobility in the air, he can't chase you without the Shuttle Loop. This is where he becomes predictable: If your in a high position the Shuttle Loop is his only option. However, the top is the weakest spot of the Shuttle Loop - it has almost no hitstun + Knockback. If he really hits you with the Loop his open for a Bowser Bomb, which often results in a KO. You have other options too: FF Airdode is a nice mixup, if the Loop can hit you off the screen. You can also do a Bowser Bomb to drop down to the ledge.
If you can't recover from high above you should try to use the UpB s soon as MK gets closer. UpB has insane priority and you can get to the stage before he hits you. You'll have to practise a lot but it will work out in the end.
If he uses the Shuttle Loop to recover use dtilt. KO
CHAINGRAB
What can I say? The CG is a godsend in many match-up's and it can definitely make a difference in this match-up, especially when we're disussing the stage specific stuff. For more information you should read Vex Kasrani's CG guide. I won't explain it any colser since the guide has it already. I will merely list all the moces that give you a free grab after Shielding / Powershielding it...
...[coming soon]
STAGE SPECIFIC (incomplete)
Stages matter a lot but there are indeed counterpick stages against MK. It should be noted that different regions have different stage rules. Get familiar with them as a potential Counterpick Stage could be banned in your region...
- Final Destination: A great stage to fight MK. You'll have plenty of CG opportunities since there are no platforms to stop you from CGing him. The ceiling is quite high. You can live to 150% almost all the time.
- Battle Field: Not a very good stage although not as bad as many people say. You have little CG opportunities. However, you get plenty of opportunities to use utilt if MK stays on the platforms. Both characters prefer to fight not on the platforms so it's pretty much the same as Final Destination. The absence of CGs is a bit annoying but Bowser has a lot on MK even without the CG.
- Smashville: Better than Battlefield. It's a bit longer and the moving platform doesn't always interfere.
- Yoshi's Island: The worst neutral stage. The platforms completely disallowes CGs. If he can force you on the platform you're in trouble!
- Halberd: Very good stage, despite the limitations on the Chain Grab. It hs a low ceiling wich gives you easy KOs via utilt or uair. On the other hand most of MKs finsihing moves send Bowser to the side, where Halberd is fairly large. If you can make use of the properties you have the advantage.
- Lylat Cruise: Not as bad as I thought. The only thing that really hurts are the movements of the space ship, that can screw Bowsers recovery. This will only happen if Bowser recovery low, something you can avoid via good DI. The stage gives you good camping possibilities, since the platforms can limit MKs approaches. Despite this MK has the advantage here but not more than 40:60.
- Frigate Orpheon: You can camp quite well - either under the static platform or on the moving one. Recovery shouldn't be an issue here but it can be hard on the right side, since you 'll never grab the ledge.
More to come soon.
i'd wager if DTilt can do it, so can a downward-angled FTilt. DTilt lasts longer so it's easier to hit with, I guess.
