Under Construction (FAQ + Q&A)

T*H*O*R · Jun 10, 2008

~*~ Snake Q&A ~*~

I'm going to try and have this stickied ASAP so every knows about it, but until it is, here's the deal: too much space is wasted on the Snake boards with people asking questions which have already been answered. There is too much of people being too bored to search the rest of the forums to find what they are looking for, so they just chew up space on the boards re-posting the same questions.

Does it sound like I'm pissed?

Well surprisingly enough, I am not. Welcome all those who are too freaking pressed for time to search the massive amounts of information on these boards, this is where you can get your questions answered. Simply pose a simple question and I (or someone else if they are so inclined) will answer. Then, your question will be added to the first post for easy future reference. Hopefully this will cut back on some of the useless posting going on.

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OUTLINE

THE ORGANIZATION
I. The Rules
II. Searching
III. Index of Already Answered Questions
IV. Cross Referenced List of Questions
V. Questions and Their Corresponding Answers

I. THE RULES

Don't post questions which require a page long answer.

Don't re-ask an already asked question. Check the answered questions first before you post.

No opinion questions. I will not tell you if you should main Snake or not; figure it out for yourself.

Be clear. If I can't understand your question, how can I answer it?

Don't post your question twice; if I haven't answered it, then I haven't been to SWF since you posted. I will answer it as soon as I check the site.

No flaming or arguing. This is not a place for arguments, just a forum for finding out the answers to your problems and broadening the community knowledge pool.

Feel free to answer a question that you know, I am not the ultimate arbiter of knowledge.

I may rephrase your question for clarity or to broaden its scope slightly. I will still include the answer to your original question though so don't worry.

**DISCLAIMER**
I'm not positive about this, but for now I will not place any answers from other contributors (i.e. not me) in the quotation boxes. Simply put, if this thread does its job, there will be too many questions and answers and not enough space for this to work. If you don't want your answer being uncredited, then I would suggest that you not post.

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II. SEARCHING

To make both our lives easier, next to each question I will post a specific ID number. If this thread gets really long (I'm hoping it will), all you need to do is press CTRL+ f and then search for the ID number. The questions may be organized into subcategories (at some point) in the Index of Already Answered Questions (Section III), but I will not reorganize the actual questions and answers themselves as the list develops (I just don't have the time)

Key
TS - Technical Skills
MP - Moveset Properties
SS - Snake Statistics
SR - Strategy Related
ST - Snake Tricks (not necessarily useful for battle)
MI - Miscellaneous
CS - Character Specific

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III. INDEX OF ALREADY ANSWERED QUESTIONS

TS01 - How do you dash to up smash attack (mortar slide)?
MP01 - How do you rapid punch (neutral A attack)?
SS01 - How heavy is Snake?
TS02 - How do you drop a grenade?
TS03 - How do you bomb/C4 recover?
TS04 - How do you drop a grenade in midair?
TS05 - How do you throw a grenade back/up/down while running?
MP02 - How do you stick C4 to someone?
ST01 - How do you stick C4 to the underside of the stage?
ST02 - How do you do Snake's infinite grab?
MI01 - What are the secrets of Snake's box taunt?
SR01 - When is the best time to use the Dair?
CS01 - What can your do to beat Zelda's up smash?
MI02 - Is Snake really Captain Falcon in disguise?
SR02 - When is the best time to use the Nair?
SR03 - When is the best time to use the Fair?
CS02 - How do you approach a laser spamming Falco?
MP03 - Which attacks does the box block against?
CS03 - How do you stop other Snakes who spam the mortar slide?
SR04 - Once you are cypher grabbed, what options do you have left?
CS04 - If you get chaingrabbed by DDD, can you only jab out of it if the DDD screws up?
CS05 - How do you beat Falco's chaingrab to dair combo?
CS06 - How do you beat Zelda's Din's Fire spam?
TS06 - How do you make a grenade stop in midair?
ST03 - How do you do one of Snake's secret taunts?
CS07 - How do you beat Olimar's Pikmin toss spam?
SS02 - How fast is Snake's run?
CS08 - How should you DI Pikachu's down smash?
CS09 - How should you DI ROB's down smash?
MI03 - Who is a good partner for Snake in doubles?
MI04 - Why is Snake so sexy?
MI05 - What makes Snake good, mind games or raw power?
CS10 - What do you do to counter Metaknight's aerial game?
CS11 - How do you kill Metaknight?
CS12 - Does Snake have the upper hand against Metaknight?
TS07 - What is grenade countering and how do you do it?
CS13 - Currently my counter to another Snake is Olimar, will that suffice?
CS14 - Who counters Snake best?
TS08 - What is DI and how do you do it right?
TS09 - What is edge hugging and how do you do it?
SR05 - How can I edgeguard characters who go under the stage to the other edge when recovering?
SR06 - I am trying to use more mind games in my gameplay, how should I do this?
MI06 - What is port priority?

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V. THE QUESTIONS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING ANSWERS

TS01 - How do you dash to up smash attack (mortar slide)?

The easiest way is to dash by running and then attacking down with the C - stick, followed by up on the analog stick + Z. For more info check out this site. For those of you using the nunchuk, the mortar slide is actually really easy to do; all it requires is that you dash and then shake smash down.

MP01 - How do you rapid punch (neutral A attack)?

Just hold A.

SS01 - How heavy is Snake?

Snake is third heaviest in the game (tied with DDD). For a complete list of character weights visit here.

TS02 - How do you drop a grenade on the ground?

Shield while you are holding the grenade. You can pick it up like and use it like a normal item once you have dropped it.

TS03 - How do you bomb/C4 recover?

Drop C4 near the height of your up B recovery and then immediately detonate. Do not wait until your up B is over or you will fast fall when you drop the C4 and this recovery will not work. At higher percentages, you may need to DI under the stage and tech in order to stay alive.

TS04 - How do you drop a grenade in midair?

You must first shield drop the grenade on the ground (see TS02 for clarification) and then pick it up like an item. Then, when you are airborne, air dodge and then immediately press either A or Z to drop the grenade.

TS05 - How do you throw a grenade back/up/down while running?

Similar to jump canceling in Melee, you can throw an item (like a shield dropped grenade (see TS02 for clarification)) behind you while running if you press up on the control pad (tap jump must be on) and then immediately press in the direction you want to throw on the C - stick.

MP02 - How do you stick C4 to someone?

Execute a down B while standing right next to someone. This works well out of a powershield and is not effected by your opponent's shield (ergo, you can C4 stick through a shield).

ST01 - How do you stick C4 to the underside of the stage?

Drop below and towards the center of the stage. While continuing to hold down, immediately jump using X or Y and then press B as you near the stage but before you grab the edge. For more info and a video click here.

ST02 - How do you do Snake's infinite grab?

You and your opponent must be directly over the edge of the stage (or platform) with your opponent closer to the edge than you. Push them off (or grab them as they recover) and then down throw. With the right timing, they will fall from the down throw just slow enough so that you can catch them again.

MI01 - What are the secrets of Snake's box taunt?

1. It can damage the opponent for about two percent. It also knocks them quite a bit. Actually useful when facing Ike. (When he's trying to aether on the edge.) Or, an unaware person. Its best not to try this too often though.
2. Each direction you do the taunt has its own way of going over Snake. Also, its own way of getting off Snake.
3. You can get the boxes stuck in little spaces if you make your own custom stage. You need to be giant Snake though.
4. The box can block some attacks and projectiles/items.
But, using the box is not very useful. It works every once in a while. Don't use it often.

SR01 - When is the best time to use the Dair?

The dair is best used to punish missed/baited spot dodges or shields or as a way to punish laggy close ranged moves or roll spamming. Because of its low priority, the dair is not a viable aerial attack on its own and should only be used when your opponent is recovering from some sort of lag. Short hopped dair out of a shield also works nicely as a means of punishment.

CS01 - What can your do to beat Zelda's up smash?

Zelda's up smash is one of the better smashes in Brawl due to its range, its duration, its priority and its hitbox. However, because this move lasts so long, it is punishable if you know how to bait it. Zelda has a slow run so she will most likely not try to execute a running up smash since you can see it coming from a mile away and punish it easily. Thus, you will most likely encounter this move if you are knocked into the air or if you mistime a spot dodge or grab. If you are in the air, dropping C4 and then detonating it will stop Zelda from following you around while you are in the air. On the ground, be sure to shield fully while this move is being executed near you. Don't try to grab or dodge while it is going on because it will suck you in first. The cool down lag of this move is enough that you can execute any of your tilts as punishment. I have also found that a C4 stick to up tilt is a nice way to punish Zelda's up smash.

MI02 - Is Snake really Captain Falcon in disguise?

Yes; on this there can be no debate.

SR02 - When is the best time to use the Nair?

The nair is only really useful if it is full hopped or double jumped and then fast-falled. Even with incredibly fast hands, the nair will only execute the first 3, less powerful kicks if it is short hopped. The nair is very useful to punish poor spot dodging and laggy moves that miss you. It is also the longest ranged killing move at low percentages due to the large distance you can cover with a full hopped nair. The nair can be effectively executed out of a shield to punish attacks, as an edgeguard against many floaty characters or those with predictable recoveries, if you are below an opponent on a platform (all for kicks will hit), or as a means for punishing your opponent's lag. Do not use this move if you are high in the air and falling because you will most likely fall past your foe too fast for the kicks to land more than once. If you double jump the nair and fast fall correctly, the final kick will finish right around the time when you land, autocanceling the aerial and allowing you to quickly execute your next move (should you miss the nair). This autocanceling nair can also be used to fake out and bait your opponents who are most likely used to punishing Snake's aerial lag.

SR03 - When is the best time to use the Fair?

The fair is far less usable than the nair, but it still has its place in your gameplay. Do not overuse the fair, its long startup, landing, and aerial finish lag makes it a risky move at best. Spikes are difficult to pinpoint and very easy to see coming. The fair is mainly useful as a defensive move during recovery. After dropping off the cypher or jumping towards the stage, execute the fair as you anticipate your opponent's approach. If you are lucky you will get a spike or a vertical kill (the fair kills vertically at very low percentages, but most likely you will just scare your opponent away from attacking you while you are vulnerable. The fair can also be used to tech chase Snake's down throw, but there are better moves for that situation.

CS02 - How do you approach a laser spamming Falco?

Laser spamming Falco players can be thwarted with Snake's crawl. This will also negate the effects of the reflector which passes right over Snake when he is crouching. If Falco approaches you (he will have to at some point) you can either down tilt or learn to mortar slide (see TS01 for clarification) out of a crawl (This is a little tricky but mainly requires practice more than timing or technical prowess).

MP03 - Which attacks does the box block against?

I'm going to have to say that I cannot tell you specifically which attacks from every character in the roster it blocks. Suffice it to say that the box will at least partially block movement and moderately powerful moves for the couple of seconds during which it bounces around. As a means of thwarting recoveries, the box blocks against Ike's up B, Marth's up B, and the Spacies' up Bs, as well as several others depending on where they are recovering from.

CS03- How do you stop other Snakes who spam the mortar slide?

Plant mines, shield drop grenades in their path (cook them for a little if you like), shoot the nikita at them if they are far away and you expect them to mortar slide (see TS01 for clarification), or drop some C4 on the ground and detonate it when they get close. You can also try shield grabbing them out of the end of the slide (away from the mortar), or tilting them (any tilt will work) if they mis-space the slide.

SR04 - Once you are cypher grabbed, what options do you have left?

At this point, your only option for recovery is a C4 recovery (see TS03 for clarification). In order to get the C4 out as fast as possible and to avoid fast falling, hold down and mash B as soon as you are cypher grabbed. At higher damages (150% and above) DI under the stage edge and tech when you hit it before cyphering again.

CS04 - If you get chaingrabbed by DDD, can you only jab out of it if the DDD screws up?

The only way in which jabbing will get you out of DDD's chaingrab is if he screws up. You may have more luck pulling out a grenade while being grabbed by mashing the B button during the chaingrab. This method will most likely work better since the grenade comes out faster than the jab. Still, both methods require mistakes in DDD's timing, so don't count on it if you are in a tournament near the final rounds.

CS05 - How do you beat Falco's chaingrab to dair combo?

Basically you want to avoid getting grabbed at all costs while you are below 35%. Stay in the middle of the stage and keep space between you and Falco at all times. Spot dodge or roll to avoid grabs and keep the pressure on with shield dropped grenades (see TS02 for clarification). If you get grabbed early on or near the edge, mash B in case Falco messes up the chaingrab which will allow you to pull out a grenade and escape. Once he gets you to the edge, expect the dair spike. Immediately press up and mash B so that you can cypher recover ASAP. DI your up B away from the stage and then C4 recover (see TS03 for clarification) to up B over the stage. If you don't DI the cypher away from the stage, Falco will just dair spike you again.

CS06 - How do you beat Zelda's Din's Fire spam?

Din's fire spam is actually ineffectual if you know what you are doing. Because of how slow each fire blast is you can actually spot dodge each one if you time it right. Do this correctly and you should be able to throw a grenade at Zelda when she tries to shoot Din's Fire at you again (it you're not comfortable throwing a grenade at her, just continue to dodge each blast until she gets bored or comes to you. Once the grenade explodes mortar slide (see TS01 for clarification) towards Zelda and keep her close to you as you pummel her with your tilts and grabs. Grenade counter (see TS07 for clarification) the up smash and up tilt her if she tries short hopping fairs at you. It is also a valid strategy to run and then shield slide towards Zelda so that you can cover ground without getting hit by Din's Fire.

TS06 - How do you make a grenade stop in midair?

This is called grenade stripping. Throw a grenade (normally or shield dropped) and then pull out another grenade and shield drop it (see TS02 for clarification). For more information, click here

ST03 - How do you do one of Snake's secret taunts?

Just barely press your down taunt while on Shadow Moses Island.

CS07 - How do you beat Olimar's Pikmin toss spam?

Avoid the middle ground between you and Olimar: if you are close, pummel him with tilts, grabs, and mortars; if you are far, use your grenades and nikitas to out spam him. If he manages to latch Pikmin on to you, shake them off with some dash dancing and quick jabs. Shielding will work against Pikmin toss but spot dodging is better, so get good at it. Above all, remember that Pikmin toss, while annoying, can't kill on its own; your projectiles can.

SS02 - How fast is Snake's run?

Snake's run is approximately 9 mph. This is 34th out of 39 total characters. Here is the complete list of character speeds.

CS08 - How should you DI Pikachu's down smash?

**PENDING FURTHER RESEARCH**

CS09 - How should you DI ROB's down smash?

With regard to ROB's down smash, your DI should be slight diagonally away from ROB and up. Mash shield so that you can air dodge as soon as you get out of the move. This move is easier to get out of than Pikachu's and also is less of a setup move than Pikachu's down smash. At higher percentages you should DI more horizontally away from ROB to avoid the star KO. Remember that DI can be treated like a force vector, so DIing in the opposite directions with the C-stick and the control stick will accomplish very little (it will never result in multi-directional DI like some people think). Therefore it is important to note that you should be consistent in your DI direction.

MI03 - Who is a good partner for Snake in doubles?

Personally I like Metaknight or GaW, depending on who your opponent chooses. Metaknight generally ***** everyone (so does GaW actually) and is amazing a racking up damage, making it easier for you to kill your opponent early. Metaknight's only real weaknesses are his lack of a projectile and his lack of killing moves, both of which are nicely complemented by Snake. GaW is also a really nice choice because of his bucket which will stop ROB and Falco (amongst others) from pressuring Snake with superior projectile spamming. His high priority aerials (along with MK's) make up for Snake's lacking air game, and his beastly recovery and ridiculously powerful smashes will kill your opponents earlier than even you thought possible (TL at 60% with an up smash...uncharged...with DI). Finally Metaknight ***** ROB, Olimar, Falco, and Wolf while Gaw ***** ROB, Olimar, Pikachu, and Falco which pretty much takes care of all my troublesome matchups.

MI04 - Why is Snake so sexy?

Because he contains a unique blend of metallic gear solidity and Captain Falconiness with a twist of uber-manly and just a touch of mullet sexiness.

Oh yeah, and the explosives help too.

MI05 - What makes Snake good, mind games or raw power?

I would have to say that his power and speed are more important than his mind games. No doubt, Snake certainly has more potential for tricks and baiting his opponents than most other characaters, however, I have seen many people with terrible mind games pick up Snake and spam the hell out of his tilts and win games against more mind game savvy opponents. What makes his mind games so potent is that every time Snake tricks you it means and additional 20% minimum, a margin for error which no other character can hope to match in one fell swoop. At higher levels of play, Snake's mind games set him apart from the rest of the cast, but only because of the high toll that they take on Snake's opponents (due to his power and speed). Without the potency of Snake's attacks his mind games lose their power.

CS10 - What do you do to counter Metaknight's aerial game?

Grenade countering (see TS07 for clarification), mortars, and up tilts tend to deter even the most stubborn Metaknights from spamming their aerials. When you are in the air you need to be particularly wary of Metaknight's up B, which will kill Snake out of the cypher quite frequently. In this situation, you want to recover high up and as fast as possible so as to avoid being juggled with the fair/uair or killed by the up B. Drop C4 below you to prevent him from chasing you when you are in the air and dodge his aerials while you fast fall back to the ground.

CS11 - How do you kill Metaknight?

This should actually not be a problem for you since Metaknight is really light weight and your up tilt kills vertically at obscenely low percentages. All of your tilts should do the job on Metaknight at reasonable percentages but the up tilt (fresh) will kill him below 100%. C4, the nair, bair, and short hopped dair out of the shield are all good options to kill Metaknight as well. You can even kill him out of a glide or his up B with a mortar or you uair (if you are feeling lucky). Snake has no shortage of moves with which he can easily kill Metaknight.

CS12 - Does Snake have the upper hand against Metaknight?

Snake does indeed have the edge over Metaknight for a couple of reasons. The most important of these is that Metaknight has no projectiles which makes him very vulnerable, not only to Snake's superb camping game, but also to his grenade countering (see TS02 for clarification) (since Metaknight attacks with all physical attacks which detonate the grenades in his face). A cautious and defensive Snake can defeat Metaknight by forcing him to approach and then punishing his advances with grenade countering, the forward tilts, and his awesome vertical KO power in the form of the up tilt. If the Snake user keeps some space between Metaknight and himself, all the while pressuring him with mortars, grenades, tilts, and grabs, he should be able to outmatch the close ranged Metaknight and win. The difficulty with this matchup (in case you were wondering why this sounded so much easier than it really is) is Snake's heavy weight and consequent propensity to being easily juggled. Snake's weak air game is highlighted by the strength of Metaknight's air game as well as his comfort in the air (he has five jumps, a glide, and every B move can be used for recovery). Snake's gimpable recovery, combined with his fast falling and low aerial priority make him a sitting duck in the air and makes any more aerially adept character water at the mouth when he is airborne. However, if you manage to stay grounded and maintain proper spacing, this match should end up in your favor

TS07 - What is grenade countering and how do you do it?

Grenade countering is when you shield with a grenade in your hand just as your opponent hits you. The grenade will explode, injuring your opponent, but your shield will keep you safe. To perform this technique, pull out a grenade (do not shield preemptively or you will drop it and the counter will not work) and shield just as your opponent tries to hit you with a physical attack (ranged attacks will not hurt your foe).

CS13 - Currently my counter to another Snake is Olimar, will that suffice?

A well played Olimar will counter all but the best/most seasoned Snake players. Olimar's strong air game, good projectiles, disjointed hitboxes, strong ground game, and walking meat shield (the Pikmin often nullify Snake's projectiles) all lend towards him being a good counter to Snake's gameplay. Olimar can combo Snake out of his ridiculous grabs and set him up for intense juggling sessions. His powerful smashes can kill Snake early and his aerials can gimp the hell out of Snake's cypher recovery. However, Olimar is not without his own glaring weaknesses: his light weight, and easily gimpable recovery make him difficult to play against a Snake who keeps the pressure on and the tilt spamming at a steady rate.

CS14 - Who counters Snake best?

Snake is countered very well ROB. His absurdly strong aerials, spammable projectiles, large hitboxes, heavy weight, ridiculous recovery,and good ground game all combat Snake very well. I have also heard that Donkey Kong is a very good Snake counter but I have not played one so I really can't say. In terms of general gameplay, characters with good ground games (so that they can hang with Snake and his godly ground game) and better air games should do well against Snake. His propensity to being juggled and his lack of aerial priority make any character who can capitalize on these weaknesses a serious threat. In addition, the ability to outcamp Snake takes away one of his key means of pressuring his opponents and the ability to handicap his mortar slide (see TS01 for clarification) (the fastest way for Snake to move around) with projectiles will seriously slow down his game and place the rhythm of game in Snake's opponent's hands. ROB and DK both have powerful aerials and smashes with which to kill/juggle Snake, and can gimp the hell out of his recovery with relative ease.

TS08 - What is DI and how do you do it right?

DI stands for direction influence and consists of pressing the control stick (and/or the C-stick) against the direction of your character's flight path after he is hit to slow his momentum and help you survive longer. The best DI is done in the direction perpendicular to your character's flight; ergo, if you are flying to the right at a 45 degree angle from the the horizontal, your DI would be 45 degrees above the horizontal to the left. For another example, if you are flying directly to the right (level with the ground or 0 degrees above the horizontal) you would DI directly up.

To explain the proper DI in a different way: if you picture the map (including the areas outside of your view near the edge of the stage) as a rectangle, your goal is to travel the furthest distance from where you were hit without going off the edge of the stage and dying. Since the furthest point from almost anywhere on the stage is usually the corner, DI should be used to slow your momentum while directing your general motion towards the corner of the stage. Thus, your DI will both slow you down and make your flight as long as possible, allowing you to live longer. It just so happens that simple geometry and vector addition with forces shows that the most efficient means of doing this is to apply a constant force perpendicular to your velocity vector.

C-Stick/Smash DI is DI using the C-Stick and it functions in the same way as DI with the control stick. Dual stick DI is DI with both the C-stick and the control stick at the same time; this can be done in different directions but the best result are achieved when both are pressed in the same direction. The best way to DI an attack is to DI perpendicular to the expected flightpath at the same instant at which you are hit with both the C-stick and the control stick.

TS09 - What is edge hugging and how do you do it?

Hugging is the fastest way to edgehog in Brawl. You simply walk/run/roll/whatever off the edge and press towards the stage after you fall, you will grab the edge automatically facing either direction and hog the edge from your opponent

SR05 - How can I edgeguard characters who go under the stage to the other edge when recovering?

This actually puts them at a greater disadvantage when they are trying to get back to the edge. For some people who are not very good at this technique, you can simply mortar slide (see TS01 for clarification) towards the edge they are going to and hug the edge (see TS09 for clarification) so that they can't get back up. With those who have mastered this means of recovery better, you can just jump down once you reach the other side and stage spike them with a bair, kill them in either direction with the nair, or simple spam your mortars like you would if they tried to recover to the other side. The biggest challenge is reading whether or not they are going to do this and then getting to the opposite side of the stage to edgeguard them.

SR06 - I am trying to use more mind games in my gameplay, how should I do this?

Well I think it's all a matter of preference. I have found that the best mind games come when you don't do something that everyone expects you to do, or when you change the rhythm of the match and catch your opponent off guard. For example, if you begin the forward tilt on someone, maybe instead of doing the whole thing, you only do the knee and then the up tilt. At a high percentage, doing this could prove fatal to your opponent because he could DI the hit in the wrong direction since he expected to be hit sideways by the end hit of the forward tilt instead of upwards by the up tilt. You can also bait your opponent by doing nothing or by doing it later than you normally would (changing the match's rhythm). If you usually dash attack or mortar slide (see TS01 for clarification) when you run towards your foe, run towards him and grab him. If you usually do an aerial when you short hop towards your opponent, jump towards him and do nothing until you land. I like to use the forward smash to catch my opponent off guard by beginning it when I expect him to run towards me and he expects me to mortar slide towards him. Often this will result in even a very skilled opponent getting hit in the face with the forward smash (for more info on forward smash baiting click here). Obviously there are a myriad of ways to trick your opponent, but these are some of the general ones that I use the most. I think that if you restrict yourself to a certain part of Snake's moveset for each different stock, you may be holding yourself back from doing as well as you possibly can.

MI06 - What is port priority?

Port priority is used to determine the outcome of ties and random events which inevitably take place during gameplay. Sometimes the higher port will take priority over the lower port and sometimes the lower port will take priority over the higher port, all depending on the situation. Port value is based on the number given to each player when they chose their character using that controller port; thus, port 4 is the highest port and port 1 is the lowest port. Similarly, in terms of port value 4 > 3 > 2 > 1 (like you would expect).

Situations involving port priority and the various outcomes

Both players grab each other at the same time. In this case the lower port will grab the higher port player.

Bowsercide in a normal match (both players die at the same time). Here, if Bowser is the lower port he wins, if not, you go to sudden death.

If you Bowserside in sudden death, you go to a second sudden death. If you Bowsercide again in that match, Bowser wins regardless of port.

Kirby/Dedede inhale suicides have no advantage based on port in a normal match, and thus will result in a sudden death if both player are on their last stock.

If this happens in sudden death, the victim of the inhale loses regardless of port.

Wario bite suicide in any match will result in a stock loss for the Wario player before the stock loss for their opponent. The same applies for Donkey Kong's cargo throw suicide.

FAS (Faux Super Armor) occurs when a player is grabbing another player and status effect of any kind (this includes explosives) hits both of them. If the player who is in a grab (grabbing or being grabbed has no difference) has a higher player slot (P4) then he will take the damage regularly but not be affected by knock back.

If two characters transform at the same time, the character with the lower player slot (P1) will transform first.

For teams, the following combinations will result in the following advantages for each team

Key

Grab Priority advantage - if two players grab simultaneously, lower port wins.
Transform advantage - if two players transform at the same time, lower port transforms first.
Suicide advantage - one player remains from each team with one stock. If the player with the lower port suicides his opponent, his team wins (may be different for Gannondorf)
FSA advantage – Faux Super Armor (see number 5 above).

Team 1: P1 and P2 vs. Team 2: P3 and P4

Team 1
absolute Grab Priority (both)
absolute Transform advantage (both)
absolute Suicide advantage (both)

Team 2
absolute FSA advantage (both)

Team 1: P1 and P3 vs. Team 2: P2 and P4

Team 1
P1 has absolute Grab Priority, Transform, and Suicide advantage
P3 has FSA when grabbing P2, Grab Priority/Transform/Suicide over P4

Team 2
P4 has absolute FSA advantage
P2 has FSA when grabbing P1, Grab Priority/Transform/Suicide over P3

Team 1: P1 and P4 vs. Team 2: P2 and P3

Team 1
P1 has absolute Grab Priority, Transform, and Suicide advantage
P4 has absolute FSA advantage

Team 2
P2 and P3 have FSA over P1, Grab,Transform, and Suicide advantage over P4

T*H*O*R · Jun 10, 2008

[Extra Space if Needed]

T*H*O*R · Jun 10, 2008

[I really doubt I'll need this, but if I do and I don't have it, how much would that suck]

raynal · Jun 10, 2008

What are the secerets of the box taunt?

Cecilanius · Jun 10, 2008

raynal said:
What are the secerets of the box taunt?

1. It can damage the opponent for about two percent. It also knocks them quite a bit. Actually useful when facing Ike. (When he's trying to aether on the edge.) Or, an unaware person. I wouldn't use this as an edge guard often though. :laugh:

2. Each direction you do the taunt has its own way of going over Snake. Also, its own way of getting off Snake. Just see for yourself. (Training mode, close up camera, do taunt in each direction.)

3. Hmm...you can get the boxes stuck in little spaces if you make your own custom stage. You need to be giant Snake though.

4. I'm pretty sure the box can block some attacks and projectiles/items.

But, using the box is not very useful. It works every once in a while. Don't use it often.

OmegaSephiroth · Jun 11, 2008

When is the best time to use Dair?

Dr. Hyde · Jun 11, 2008

What moves can beat Zelda's Up Smash?

wazgood · Jun 11, 2008

Miscellaneous: Is snake really captain falcon in disguise?

T*H*O*R · Jun 11, 2008

OK, I will answer these in order:

1. The dair is best used to punish missed/baited spot dodges or shields or as a way to punish laggy close ranged moves or roll spamming. Because of its low priority, the dair is not a viable aerial attack on its own and should only be used when your opponent is recovering from some sort of lag. Short hopped dair out of a shield also works nicely as a means of punishment.

2. Zelda's up smash is one of the better smashes in Brawl due to its range, its duration, its priority and its hitbox. However, because this move lasts so long, it is punishable if you know how to bait it. Zelda has a slow run so she will most likely not try to execute a running up smash since you can see it coming from a mile away and punish it easily. Thus, you will most likely encounter this move if you are knocked into the air or if you mistime a spot dodge or grab. If you are in the air, dropping C4 and then detonating it will stop Zelda from following you around while you are in the air. On the ground, be sure to shield fully while this move is being executed near you. Don't try to grab or dodge while it is going on because it will suck you in first. The cool down lag of this move is enough that you can execute any of your tilts as punishment. I have also found that a C4 stick to up tilt is a nice way to punish Zelda's up smash.

3. Yes; on this there can be no debate.

bman in 2288 · Jun 11, 2008

What would be the best times to use nair, fair?

old king coal · Jun 11, 2008

how to approach a falco who spams lasers and spaces with reflector...?

btw well organised thread. alot better than other Q&A's where everyones questions are ignored, but the person who asks "whats your favourite costume?" gets 10 replies.

ps: you have no soul for asking for a sticky

Sergetrigger · Jun 11, 2008

old king coal said:
how to approach a falco who spams lasers and spaces with reflector...?

btw well organised thread. alot better than other Q&A's where everyones questions are ignored, but the person who asks "whats your favourite costume?" gets 10 replies.

ps: you have no soul for asking for a sticky

Crawling is your best friend. The reflector won't hit you at all.

Oh and my question is, which attacks does the box shield against?

T*H*O*R · Jun 11, 2008

Okay I'm going to break the above question apart into two separate ones for simplicity sake.

Nair - The nair is only really useful if it is full hopped. Even with incredibly fast hands, the nair will only execute the first 3, less powerful kicks if it is short hopped. The nair is very useful to punish poor spot dodging and laggy moves that miss you. It is also the longeste ranged killing move at low percentages due to the large distance you can cover with a full hopped nair. The nair can be effectively executed out of a shield to punish attacks, as an edgeguard against many floaty characters or those with predictable recoveries, or as a means for punishing your opponent's lag.

Fair - The fair is far less usable in gameplay than the nair, but it still has its uses. Do not overuse the fair, its long startup, landing, and aerial finish lag makes it a risky move at best. Spikes are difficult to pinpoint and very easy to see coming. The fair is mainly useful as a defensive move during recovery. After dropping off the cypher or jumping towards the stage, execute the fair as you anticipate your opponent's approach. If you are lucky you will get a spike or a vertical kill (the fair kills vertically at very low percentages, but most likely you will just scare your opponent away from attacking you while you are vulnerable. The fair can also be used to tech chase Snake's down throw, but there are better moves for that situation.

T*H*O*R · Jun 11, 2008

Jeez so many questions I can't answer one without having more asked.

Anyways to address the newest queries:

Laser spamming Falco players can be thwarted with Snake's crawl. This will also negate the effects of the reflector which passes right over Snake when he is crouching. If Falco approaches you (he will have to at some point) you can either down tilt or learn to mortar slide out of a crawl (This is a little tricky but mainly requires practice more than timing or technical prowess).

Regarding the question about the box blocking attacks, I'm going to have to say that I cannot tell you specifically which attacks from every character in the roster it blocks. Suffice it to say that the box will at least partially block movement and moderately powerful moves for the couple of seconds during which it bounces around. For means of thwarting recoveries, the box blocks against Ike's up B, Marth's up B, and the Spacies' up Bs, as well as several others depending on where they are recovering from. If you want more specific than this, I will certainly answer any slightly less broad clarifications which you might have about this topic.

ChaoticSamus · Jun 11, 2008

My question is how do I stop or defeat other Snakes who happen to spam the mortar slide?

bman in 2288 · Jun 11, 2008

Plant mines. Yes, the mortar slide can dispose of mines, but only if it's near-perfectly spaced. Otherwise, the other Snake will take the hit.

Or a properly-spaced utilt. Your choice, I guess.

T*H*O*R · Jun 11, 2008

Plant mines, shield drop grenades in their path (cook them for a little if you like), shoot the nikita at them if they are far away and you expect them to mortar slide, or drop some C4 on the ground and detonate it when they get close. You can also try shield grabbing them out of the end of the slide (away from the mortar), or forward tilting them if they mis-space the slide.

g-regulate · Jun 11, 2008

i disagree with your part about nair. when you say "full hop" nair do you mean just a big first jump? i double jump it, always. when double jumped and the correct fast falling, the move will end right when you are landing, making for a auto-cancel and leaving no lag for another move such as ftilt, or utilt, or grab. this is way more useful than just eating the lag. with the exception of short hop dair (which is risky, but sometimes useful), i try to not have any lag on any of my aerials at all times. playing snake like this makes him way faster and less sloppy.

T*H*O*R · Jun 11, 2008

Well I'm going to try and salvage my position without totally contesting G-reg in the process (I doubt I would survive a smash battle with him). The reason I choose to eat the lag as you say is because I only execute the nair when I'm sure that at least part of it will hit, sucking in my opponent for the final blow. Your method works well as a killing/spacing move, but a single full hopped nair (if executed well) can land a cool 28% damage and finish with the killer knockback of the final kick. Honestly, I rarely double jump the nair because I can't land all four hits this way. Still, if this is a good technique to use, I will add it to the answer.

wazgood · Jun 11, 2008

you should mention how all 4 hits of a FH nair lets you hit people on platforms w/o you going onto the platform. that's how i normally use it.

bman in 2288 · Jun 12, 2008

wazgood said:
you should mention how all 4 hits of a FH nair lets you hit people on platforms w/o you going onto the platform. that's how i normally use it.

This. That, and the shield-stun they suffer is as long as it takes for Snake to recover from the lag. As it turns out, it's nothing new, but old info is still info, so thanks.

abit_rusty · Jun 12, 2008

Once you are cypher grabbed, what, if any, options do you have left?

The answer is very important for all Snakes to know, all hope is not lost.

...and T*H*O*R your threads never cease to deliver. Well done.

bman in 2288 · Jun 12, 2008

A good (read: ONLY) idea for Snakes in that situation would be to use bomb recovery. Be forewarned, though: at higher percentages, aim for the stage. That's because the bomb recovery will eventually kill you if you don't tech off the stage (assuming you can ledge-tech well enough to live). After that, Cypher to solid ground.

Also, just in case of meteor-happy opponents, try to pull off ledge-tech jump to catch them off guard, then cypher onto the stage. Nobody expects a ledge-tech jump.

abit_rusty · Jun 12, 2008

bman in 2288 said:
A good (read: ONLY) idea for Snakes in that situation would be to use bomb recovery. Be forewarned, though: at higher percentages, aim for the stage. That's because the bomb recovery will eventually kill you if you don't tech off the stage (assuming you can ledge-tech well enough to live). After that, Cypher to solid ground.

Also, just in case of meteor-happy opponents, try to pull off ledge-tech jump to catch them off guard, then cypher onto the stage. Nobody expects a ledge-tech jump.

Yup. To be more specific though, assuming the opponent does the cypher grab correctly, you will just fly off after not getting hit for a while. During the whole time you are grabbed, make sure you have already held down on the analog and spamming the heck out of B. Having down held beforehand will prevent you from fast falling, and spamming B will allow you to bomb jump as soon as your animation from flying out of the grab ends.

Did what I just say make sense?

eMORAY21 · Jun 12, 2008

Nice post.

superman969 · Jun 12, 2008

if you get chaingrabbed by a DDD, can you only jab out of it if the DDD screws up?

T*H*O*R · Jun 12, 2008

The only way in which jabbing will get you out of DDD's chaingrab is if he screws up. You may have more luck pulling out a grenade while being grabbed by mashing the B button during the chaingrab. Still, both methods require mistakes in DDD's timing, so don't count on it if you are in a tournament near the final rounds.

T*H*O*R · Jun 12, 2008

I guess I missed the cypher grab question.

The best thing to do in this situation is to hold diagonally down and away from your opponent while mashing B. When you break free, this will DI the break away from the edge so that you don't get grabbed again or spiked and keep you from fast falling when you drop the C4. Be sure to immediately detonate the C4 or you will drift too far from it for the explosion to hit you.

bman in 2288 · Jun 12, 2008

rusty makes sense, and it's probably fast to pull a grenade out. I just recently checked, and apparently, the grenade appears on the first frame of the attack. Faster than jab. But whatever makes you feel better during the chaingrab.

Dr. Hyde · Jun 13, 2008

What is the best way to approach a Zelda that plans on staying back and Up Smashing or using Forward Air?

I can't win if I pull out a grenade against my opponent since he'll just dins and explode it and if I pull it out I can't seem to mortar slide away in time.

T*H*O*R · Jun 13, 2008

Din's fire spam is actually ineffectual if you know what you are doing. Because of how slow each fire blast is you can actually spot dodge each one if you time it right. Do this correctly and you should be able to throw a grenade at Zelda when she tries to shoot Din's Fire at you again (it you're not comfortable throwing a grenade at her, just continue to dodge each blast until she gets bored or comes to you. Once the grenade explodes mortar slide towards Zelda and keep her close to you as you pummel her with your tilts and grabs. Grenade counter the up smash and up tilt her if she tries short hopping fairs at you. It is also a valid strategy to run and then shield slide towards Zelda so that you can cover ground without getting hit by Din's Fire.

T*H*O*R · Jun 13, 2008

Alright, I have a question of my own:

Compared to the run speed of other characters, how fast is Snake's mortar slide?

bman in 2288 · Jun 14, 2008

...I'd have to say pretty ****ing fast. Granted I can't test right now, but you cover a large distance in a short amount of time. If I had to guess, though, I'd say it was around the speeds of Captain Falcon/Sonic.

Ironic how Snake can be one of the fastest people in the game, he's on the low end of run speeds.

Cecilanius · Jun 14, 2008

I agree with that partially. It seems as if the initial speed of the Snakedash is at Sonic's/Captain Falcon's level. But, as you travel it diminishes.

bman in 2288 · Jun 14, 2008

The important part, though, is that you go fast and far. And that it's near unpunishable if it's not abused.

Cecilanius · Jun 14, 2008

Hey THOR, did you want specific run speed differences? Or, just a general idea.

bman in 2288 · Jun 14, 2008

Well, he did say a comparison against other people's runs, so I guess try specific run speed differences.

T*H*O*R · Jun 14, 2008

Well, I tried testing this on my own but my wii is broken at the moment and it won't play double layered disks so I am S.O.L. My plan was basically to do this: find the exact distance of one mortar slide and then place a mine there. I would then mortar slide from my original position and find the number of frames (or time) it would take for me to hit the mine and explode. Then I was going to try and guess which character had the same run speed, plant a mine in the same place, and then have them run at the mine while I was timing how long it took. I would then move up or down the list of character speeds based on how this result fit my data for the mortar slide until I got a close relationship between a character and Snake's mortar slide. I'm sure its possible to find the exact maximum speed of the slide and compare that to other characters' speeds, but that information seems sort of useless so I'm not too worried about it.

bman in 2288 · Jun 14, 2008

..Sounds like a job for M2K!

T*H*O*R · Jun 15, 2008

lol, i'll see if he wants to do it.

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