The New Official Kirby Matchup Rankings AND GUIDE Thread! :: OMGOMGOMG! We're done!

Dr. Peterson (edit of the first post of his matchup rankings thread) said:

I feel that I need to be spending my time on more important things rather than arguing with kids about a video game. Therefore, I won't be running any more matchup debates or reviews. If someone wants to keep up the weekly reviews, feel free, if you drop me a PM every week or so I can update things here on the first page.

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Questioned Matchups

haracterharacter [COLOR= color](Kirby xx-xx character)[ /COLOR]
Suggested: [COLOR= color](Kirby xx-xx character)[ /COLOR] by user
Their board says: [COLOR= color](Kirby xx-xx character)[ /COLOR]
Verdict: [COLOR= color](Kirby xx-xx character)[ /COLOR]
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Headings Of The Reviews

If you have something to add, I would really appreciate it if you used the following headings


Character: (Duh)
Difficulty rating: (Your rating of the match)
Overview: (What general strategies does this character employ against a Kirby? Does he camp? Go all out offensive?)
Pros+Cons: (What does this character have going for him? Weight? Speed? How about things we can take advantage of?)
Watch out for: (This character's favourite moves and when he'll use them)
How to win: (What Kirby needs to do to beat this character)
Spit out or Swallow?: (Do we want to copy his ability or keep the inhale for Kirbycides/under-stage spits?)
What NOT to do: (If you want to lose, go right ahead)
Stages: (Which to counterpick? Which to avoid?)
Synopsis: (Tl;Dr version)

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Update Log:

9/20 - Created Thread
-Weekly Discussion 1 - Snake
9/21 - Added "What NOT to do" heading
9/22 - Added "Questioned Matchups" section
9/26 - Changed matchup vs. R.O.B. to 40-60 and matchup vs. Jigglypuff to 60-40
9/27 - Added Snake info and changed matchup rating to 40-60
-Added "Spit out or Swallow?" heading
-Weekly Discussion 2 - Marth
-Sexy new Kirby pic, stolen from Marth boards
9/30 - Created template for character discussions/guide
10/01 - Added Wolf and Sheik/Zelda to "Questioned Matchups" section
10-04 - Added Marth info and changed matchup rating to 35-65
-Weekly discussion 3 - Matchup Review
-Changed thread title to stay under maximum character limit
10/11 - Weekly Discussion 4 - Game & Watch
-Changed matchup numbers for Ike, Mario, Samus, Toon Link, Wolf, Game & Watch, Marth
-Added Sheik/Zelda and Kirby matchup ratings
-Resolved all "Questioned Matchups"
-Added Game & Watch and Pokemon Trainer to "Questioned Matchups" section
10/18 - Added G&W info and changed matchup rating back to 40-60
10/19 - Weekly Discussion 5 - King Dedede
10/22 - Minor housekeeping; Changed spelling of "Mr. Game&Watch" to "Game & Watch"; New lighter blue font that doesn't hurt my eyes
-Added "Previous Discussions" section
10/26 - Weekly Discussion 6 - Yoshi (re-added here on 10/30)
10/30 - Added King Dedede info and changed matchup rating 60-40
-Added Olimar (and pretty colours) to "Priority Discussions" section
11/01 - Added Yoshi info
-Weekly Discussion 7 - Diddy Kong
11/09 - Weekly Discussion 8 - Pikachu
11/14 - Added Diddy Kong info
11/16 - Weekly Discussion 9 - Falco
11/22 - Weekly Discussion 10 - Lucario
11/30 - Weekly Discussion 11 - Toon Link
12/07 - Weekly Discussion 12 - Wario
12/13 - Weekly Discussion 13 - Wolf and Zelda/Sheik
12/20 - Weekly Discussion 14 - Pit and Lucas
-Changed matchup vs. Wolf to 55/45; New title pic because the old one died
12/21 - Added Pikachu info
12/25 - Weekly Discussion 15 - Pokemon Trainer
01/02/09 - Minor changes to "Matchup Summary" and "Priority Discussions" sections
-Added Matchup Chart beta
-Weekly Discussion 16 - Ike
01/05 - Matchup Chart updated with tier list v2.0
01/08 - Weekly Discussion 17a - Fox
01/11 - Weekly Discussion 17b - ROB
01/17 - Weekly Discussiong 18 - Olimar
01/21 - Weekly Discussion 18b - Peach
01/25 - Weekly Discussion 19a - Zero Suit Samus
01/28 - Weekly Discussion 19b - Ganondorf (at the same time as ZSS)
01/29 - Changed matchup vs. ZSS to 40/60
01/30 - Changed matchup vs. Ganondorf to 55/45; ended ZSS discussion
02/01 - Weekly Discussion 20a - Donkey Kong
02/03 - Weekly Discussion 20b - Meta Knight
-Changed matchup vs. DK to 45-55
02/05 - Matchup Chart Version 2.0 uploaded
02/08 - Weekly Discussion 21a: Mario
02/09 - Weekly Discussion 21b: Captain Falcon
02/13 - Weekly Discussion 22a: Ice Climbers
02/15 - Weekly Discussion 22b: Bowser
02/22 - Weekly Discussion 23a: Luigi
02/25 - Weekly Discussion 23b: Sonic
-Changed matchup vs. Luigi to 50-50
03/02 - Weekly Discussion 24a: Ness
-Changed matchup vs. Sonic to 55-45
03/05 - Weekly Discussion 24b: Samus
03/12 - Weekly Discussion 25a: Jigglypuff
03/14 - Weekly Discussion 25b: Link
03/17 - Done All Matchups! ...Now what?​

[Game & Watch]

Discussion: Page 18 to page 20

Overview:
The 2-D terror is a returning vet for the days of Melee. It's out with the crappy shield and in with the buffs, buffs, buffs! Game & Watch now has a normal-sized shield, fantastic aerials, tech-chase d-throw, and to top it all off, he's a lightweight with the smashes of a heavyweight. The smashes of a heavyweight that have IASA frames. Yeah. There’s a reason why he's high tier.

Pros+Cons:
+Can catch 3 energy-based projectiles in his bucket (Down-B) and release them for up to 60% damage (this includes the energy beam from Final Cutter)
+Fire (Up-B) is a decent recovery height-wise, does not send G&W into helpless mode but ends in a parachute that gives him an incredible horizontal recovery, allows him to use aerials after it, and gives invincibility frames on ascent. Pretty much ungimpable
+Attacks are both strong and high-priority, with the majority being disjointed
+Down-throw slams the opponent into the ground, creating a tech-chase scenario
+Most moves have long duration – F-smash can outlast a spot-dodge
+Judge (Side-B) 9 is an OHKO at 0%
+Smashes are incredibly powerful
+Strong aerials with little landing lag; B-air is a notable shield stabber and damage dealer
+Tilts are all very effective; d-tilt has IASA frames that provides a continuous hitbox with 0 frames of lag
+Erratic movement makes G&W difficult to predict
+Small size allows him to duck under attacks and projectiles
-Second lightest character in the game
-Projectiles from Chef (Neutral-B) have somewhat random arcs, making it difficult to utilize effectively
-Roll and dash attack are slow and laggy
-Judge is random: 1 will hurt G&W while 9 is a OHKO
-Oil panic (Down-B) cannot catch physical projectiles

Watch out for:
U-smash - Too good. Kills early and often, especially out of a D-throw tech chase at high percents

F-smash - Exceptional power, incredible duration, and it hits hard! It will outlast a spot-dodge, so roll away or counterattack in the startup. All of G&W’s smashes have IASA frames that kill the cooldown, meaning that the animation will alternate between charge-up and hitbox.

D-throw - Forces you to tech or get hit by a D-smash. To tech it, listen to the 3 beeps G&W makes when he throws. Imagine when a fourth beep would be, and press the shield button anywhere from halfway between the 3rd and 4th to right at the 4th. Don’t forget to roll away. They will try to tech-chase with a U-smash when you are at kill percents. If you get grabbed at over 100%, use the tech-attack rather than rolling.

B-air - Multi-hit, extremely effective shield stabber, and overall very annoying. G&W’s most often used aerial approach.

U-air - Out of a U-throw, G&W will attempt to juggle you with this. Way above the hitbox is an air column effect that will push you up or stall your fall. It can even slow, but not completely stop, the Stone! Watch out for it, it will mess up your timing like crazy. The best idea is to airdodge and try to get to an edge.

D-air - High-priority stall-then-fall that can be slowed and manoeuvred slightly. It has an air hitbox and a ground hitbox, so it might shield-stab you. The bad news? It spikes in the opening frames. The good news? If you U-air below him and to the side, Kirby's foot will go through the Key and hit G&W out of it!

N-air - Maybe I should just say to watch out for all his aerials. The N-air is another multi-hit move, and it can be chained together with another at low percents of you don’t DI.

D-tilt - A very effective pressure move, the manhole is a very effective move. With non-existent startup, great range, and high priority, the D-tilt is quite a fearsome attack. Couple that with the fact that its IASA frames kill both cooldown and startup, and you have a continuous hitbox that will pressure your shield or guard your edge like none other.

How to win:
Save your kill moves – Game&Watch is incredibly light. Do not use your smashes, and try to keep your B-air as fresh as possible, because they will kill early.

Play a more ground-based game than usual - G&W outranges you in the air, at least on the horizontal plane. Keep to the ground and use F-tilt and D-tilt to space. Shield-grabbing his B-air is satisfying and effective. To punish a D-air, walk away and F-smash behind you. It will get you kills.

Watch out for his U and D-throws - Tech the D-throw. If you don't, you’re asking for a D-smash to the face. To be safe, hold either left or right, whichever direction would be optimal for a tech-roll. That way, you cover both throws at the same time. The F and B-throws are moderately useless and will not be seen often.

Final Cutter messes with his air game - Throw it out once in a while to disrupt his approach, but make sure he’s in the air or he might be able to bucket the energy beam.

Remember the U-throw - U-throwing at around 110% on the top platform of Battlefield will get you kills.

Spit out or Swallow?
No doubt about it, Spit out is the way to go. If you Swallow, he gets a free D-air to your head, like ROB or Lucario. Not only that, he can absorb your sausages, even though he can't absorb those of another G&W. Inhale in and of itself is a good counterattack, and the 10% you get from Spit out brings him 10% closer to the ever-so-low kill percentage.

What NOT to do:
Try to gimp him – He has freaking invincibility frames in his Up-B. The only way you'll hit him out of it is with the Stone, when he’s halfway up his ascent or higher. The good thing about this is that the Stone is an impressive vertical killer.

Forget to tech the D-throw - Just don't forget. Kirby cannot escape a D-smash off of a failed tech.

Try to beat his B-air - Wait and punish the landing lag. It's a little bit obvious when he's going to use it, so predict it. Also, his B-air>your B-air.

Attempt the Gonzo Combo - Not only can he escape it, D-throw --> U-tilt is a much better option because he's easy pickings if he attempts a Key. Shield and punish the landing lag. And if you want to combo the U-tilt into an aerial, pick U-air or N-air, leave B-air fresh for the kill.

Stages (in order of priority):
Jungle Japes – High ceiling prevents U-smash kills
Battlefield - U-throw onto top platform is too good
Pictochat - Possible counterpick; high but not wide blastzones facilitate your F-smash while devaluing his U-smash
Halberd– Stay away from the low ceiling
Green Greens/Corneria - Melee stages with small blastzones could end up providing some low-percent kills. Don’t get me wrong – it could go either way. It's not that bad if he picks them, just know that there are better choices.

Synopsis:
This matchup is about staying cautious, punishing his approaches and slowly tacking on damage until you get him around 80%. Then you play even more cautious and go for a kill. G&W has an advantage in the 'raw power' department, but if you play safe, tech-roll/attack the D-throw, and take advantage of the landing lag on his aerials, you’ll do OK. Speaking of the aerials, they’re all very good, so watch out for them. In general, stages with high ceilings are good for Kirby in this matchup, but Battlefield is a solid choice.


Major Contributors: Gonzo, Asdioh, Percon

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[Marth]

Discussion: Page 3 to page 13

Overview:
Marth, the Fire Emblem prince, returns from Melee. The sword he wields is utilized gracefully, but looks can be deceiving. Marth is deadly, and hitting with the tip makes him even more so; 'tippers', as they’re called, do the most damage and knockback. Combining the tippers and the disjointed sword, you get a character who is ideal at the maximum possible range. All of Marth's aerials and smashes are moderate-percent killers, and his throws, though weak, are effective comboers. Marth has a poor horizontal recovery, and you’ll need to take advantage of this if you want to win. To have a chance, you have to play extremely defensive. Marth is Kirby’s worst matchup, so you’ll have to be on your toes the entire time.

Pros+Cons:
+Quick running, walking, and aerial movement speed
+Attacks that hit at the tip of Marth's sword do more damage and knockback than attacks that hit closer to Marth
+All specials are useful attacks – Shield Breaker as a pressure move, Dancing Blade as a punisher, Dolphin Slash as a defensive maneuver, and Counter to punish predictable players
+Disjointed sword provides excellent range and priority
+U-tilt is an effective juggler, especially on fast-fallers that have wasted their jump
+D-air is a powerful spike when tipped, and it can hit out of a footstool ('Vertical Space')
+All aerials are very versatile, have low startup, and combo well
+ D-throw combos into F-smash at low percents
-Light for a character his size
-Throws are weak in knockback and damage
-Lacks a projectile
-Attacks are weaker when not tipped, and a non-tipped attack will stale the same attack when tipped
-Dolphin Slash is a linear, near-vertical recover; Marth’s horizontal recovery is quite weak
-All smashes are unsafe on block

Watch out for:
F-tilt - Outranges Kirby's aerial approaches

F-air - Not only is it lethal, it combos into itself

Tipper F-smash - Marth's best all-around kill move, this will kill at slightly lower percentages than Kirby’s F-smash

Neutral-B - Not only is it humiliating to get your shield broken, the inevitable Shield Breaker that comes next will seal your fate

D-tilt - It’s a trap! When spaced perfectly, the D-tilt is completely safe on block due to the IASA frames. Roll away asap unless you want to be shield stabbed.

Up-B - Invincibilty, instant startup, and able to be used out of shield. As a defensive move, Marth's Dolphin Slash is second to none. It can break out of just about any combo or chainthrow. The only problem is that, obviously, Marth goes into helpless mode when the attack ends. If you can bait an Up-B, feel free to punish with the Hammer

How to win:
Running Shield Grab – Kirby's most effective approach is the running shield grab. D-throw combos beautifully into U-tilt against Marth, and, when done at the right range, neither Marth's Counter or Dolphin Slash can hit Kirby through the U-tilt, due to their lack of (downward) vertical range. The only attack that will beat out Kirby's U-tilt is Marth's D-air, and if you successfully predict one and shield, the landing lag will allow you to regrab and start the chain all over again.

Edgeguard – Take advantage of Marth's poor horizontal recovery. The Fence of Pain and Starshot under the stage are both effective gimping options. However, Marth's F-air outranges Kirby's B-air, so be careful not to be counterattacked. Second swing aerial hammer has enough startup lag to wait out the Counter, and its horizontal trajectory puts Marth in the perfect position to be edgeguarded or edgehogged.

Stay on the ground – The second you jump, Marth will F-tilt. And Kirby will not get through. If you stay on the ground, you can duck to dodge an aerial approach and shield, powershield, or clank ground approaches.

Possible Gimp Opportunity – If you grab Marth after he has used his second jump and his legs are dangling over the edge, he does not regain his second jump. Let him go without pummeling, and he will do an air grab release, and must grab the ledge if he wants to survive. You have more than enough time to edgeguard and taunt while he's falling to his doom.

Spit out or Swallow?
Kirby suffers from Short Sword Syndrome when swallowing Marth, but Kirby's Shield Breaker is just as effective at breaking shields, and it has less landing lag than Marth's. Not only that, but it's a powerful killer, and has a large horizontal distance when fully charged and released in the air.
In this match, Fake Kirbycide --> Starshot is an effective gimp setup due to Marth's poor horizontal recovery, both under the stage and away from the stage. The choice is up to you, but I personally prefer Spit out.

What NOT to do:
Approach from the air – Marth outranges Kirby in the air, with both his F-tilt and F-air. Stick to the ground when you want to approach. You have a projectile. Marth doesn't. No matter how crummy it is, spam Final Cutter. It will force Marth to approach. Walk to disrupt his spacing, and counterattack. Playing against Marth is almost completely reactive.

Stand still – If you stand still, that makes it so much easier for Marth to tip. Walking and retreating in the air will disrupt Marth's spacing, and he has a tough enough time tipping against small targets in the first place.

Roll towards Marth – Dancing Blade has a low enough start-up that it can punish rolls for an easy 30%. SDI upward, combined with Kirby's floatiness, will allow you to avoid the final hit of the down-B variation, which wreaks havoc on both shields and damage meters, possibly at the same time.

Use smashes OOS – Never use a smash out of shield unless you're sure it will hit. Marth just has too many options to punish a poorly timed smash attack.

Stages (in order of priority):
Jungle Japes – High ceiling prevents Star KOs, and water + Marth's horrible horizontal recovery = low percent gimp kills
Rainbow Cruise – Take advantage of your multiple jumps; also bad for Marth's recovery
Yoshi’s Story – Marth's worst neutral stage (Thanks Emblem Lord)
Delfino Plaza – An alternate option that allows you to take advantage of your recovery
Battlefield – Marth loves this stage. He can easily take advantage of the platforms, and nothing about the stage gives him an undue disadvantage. When doing stage strikes to pick the stage for the first match, ban this stage
Lylat Cruise – See Battlefield.
Halberd – Stay away from it. The low ceiling will provide Marth with low-percent U-smash KOs

Synopsis:
This match is tough. Very tough. If you’re facing a dedicated Marth main in a tournament, don’t be disappointed if you get dropped to the losers' bracket. Counterpick a character, Jungle Japes, or Rainbow Cruise to even the match up. Grabs are your most effective form of damage dealing, and you must stay inside Marth's range if you want to disrupt his spacing. Marth has several good combo moves and killers in his aerials, smashes, and specials. Marth is quite susceptible to gimp kills, so take advantage of that. Above all, DON’T FORGET THE TIP!


Major Contributors: Gf2tw, ~Shao~, skellitorman, Steel2nd, SheerMadness

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[Snake]

Discussion: Page 1 to page 2

Overview:
Snake, from the Metal Gear series, joins the brawl! Armed with various explosives, mines, and rockets, Snake can put the hurt on fast. His combination of heavy weight and stellar recovery can sometimes make getting a KO difficult. His tilts are, in a word, broken. And his aerials are either killers, massive damage rackers, or both. This is one tough fight, but don’t despair. Kirby definitely doesn’t have it easy, but Snake is not an impossible opponent.

Pros+Cons:
+3rd Heaviest character in the game
+Neutral A combo, F-tilt, and U-tilt are all potentially kill moves
+N-air and D-air can both do over 25% damage if all four kicks connect, and they can both be autocancelled (N-air out of a full jump, D-air out of a short hop)
+F-air, B-air, and U-air are all kill moves (down, sideways, and up respectively)
+D-smash, U-smash, F-smash, Side-B, and Down-B are all explosives with incredible power
+Snake-dashing (Dash attack-cancelled up-smash) does not require a hit to cancel the dash attack
+Has several on-stage edgeguard options
+Has several invisible disjointed hitboxes
+When able to recover high, is incredibly difficult to gimp
-Small second jump
-Smashes and specials are laggy
-Poor defensive aerial game; easy to combo once you have him in the air
-Grabbing the cypher (Up-B) when Snake is recovering, and releasing him without pummelling will not give his cypher back; a well-timed C4 is required to recover, and even then, Snake could put 25% on himself to recover

Watch out for:
U-tilt - Snake’s primary kill move, the u-tilt can kill at 100% when fresh, without DI. Did I mention the incredibly broken invisible hitbox?

F-tilt - A mere tilt with strength and damage of a smash; can do 21% fresh, and is a possible kill move.

Neutral-B - The grenades are Snake’s primary method of camping. Watch for shield dropping, or ‘cooking’ the grenades, which prevents you from catching and throwing them back.

Snake-dashing - When cancelling the dash attack into a U-smash, Snake can travel the length of Final Destination with ease. The hits can combo into each other.

How to win:
Use Neutral-B – This move is incredible for this matchup. Stealing Snake’s grenades and counter-camping is infuriating to your opponent. Or you could suck Snake up out of his cypher to Kirbycide. An important thing to note: if you are standing on ground and you suck Snake up out of his cypher and spit him out he does not get his cypher back. That’s right; the Inhale has the same properties as grabbing the cypher.

Be a grab ***** - Snake sucks in the air. Grabs will get him there. D-throw -> U-tilt is all the more effective because none of his aerials are quick enough to stop it. Also, grabs are free damage. They are even more useful because Snake’s game is ground-based, so he will usually be within running shield grab range.

Spam B-air – When Snake is in the air, he has no answer to B-air. It’s faster than all of his aerials, hits him out of his cypher, and is all-around incredible. Expect it to go stale, and if it doesn’t, you’re doing something wrong.

Throw out a hammer or two – Snake is very heavy, but even that doesn’t protect him from the monstrosity that is the aerial hammer. Just throw it out there occasionally to keep your opponent on his toes.

D-air -> F-smash – Just do it. It will get you kills. Snake's heavy weight and high traction means that the ground hit of the D-air won't make him slide very far. Perfect to follow up with a F-smash for the KO.

Spit out or Swallow?
If you Inhale at lower percents, swallow to take his power. Grenades are a very effectve projectile, especially if you know how to cook them. At higher percents, Spit to keep Kirbycide options open.

What NOT to do:
Approach from the air above 100% - U-tilt will trade hits or outright beat every aerial Kirby has. Stick to the ground, spam Final Cutter if he U-smashes, and try to get him in the air.

Expect to grab the cypher a lot– If a Snake is good, he will survive being cypher-grabbed. If he’s better, he will not get cypher-grabbed in the first place.

Forget about proximity mines – Always keep track of the mines. Detonate with FC or Stone if you can.

Roll behind him – When he D-throws you, the easiest you can make his job is to roll behind him, into the reverse F-smash or D-throw string.

Neglect Final Cutter – This is your all-purpose long range move. It disrupts the Nikita, stops grenades, explodes mines, and goes through U-smash spam to damage Snake. This move is the sole reason why Snake cannot camp Kirby to hell and back. Use it. Love it.

Lose track of the C4 – Snake can stick that thing anywhere. Even onto you during the beginning and ending animations of Stone (Thanks Eternal Yoshi). It can be transferred to you if he stuck it on another player. If he’s placed it on the field, know where it is. If you manage to grab him and it’s on the field, he cannot recover. Also remember, the hitbox of the C4 is short enough that you can spotdodge it.

Use multi-hit moves on the cypher - An attack will only break Snake off the cypher if it does 7% or more in one hit. Thus, U-air, B-air, and N-air will get Snake off the cypher, while F-air and D-air won't.

Stages (in order of priority):
Rainbow Cruise – Try camping, Snake. I dare you. This is your go-to stage, but a smart Snake will ban it.
Luigi’s Mansion – Huge blastzones shift the play from outright kill to gimp. (Courtesy of Commander Blitzkrieg)
Jungle Japes – High ceiling to avoid U-tilt KOs and small platforms make Snake uncomfortable.
Lylat Cruise – Tilting stage allows for stone mindgames and messes with Snake’s recovery.
Brinstar – Tiny ceiling and sides, and Snake has an infinite chaingrab at the bottom. Ban it.
Final Destination – Match will be: grenade, grenade, nikita, plant mine, snake-dash, rinse, repeat. It will end with U-tilt KOs.
Green Greens/Corneria – Tiny blastzones make for a happy camper (but only if the camper is Snake)

Synopsis:
Snake is a tough matchup, but far from impossible. Watch out for his broken tilts and Snake-dashing. If you can, Swallow him to be able to camp with cooked grenades and Final Cutter. If you can’t, Kirbycide or Spit out under the stage -> B-air stage spike is so satisfying. Go after him while he’s recovering. You might get a cypher-grab KO or Kirbycide for your troubles. Grabs will get him in the air, where he’s vulnerable. In the air, use B-air very often. Take him to Rainbow Cruise, Luigi’s Mansion, Jungle Japes, and Lylat Cruise. These counterpicks can swing the match in your favour.


Major Contributors: Asdioh, Gonzo

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[Zelda]

Discussion: Page 35 to page 38

[Zero Suit Samus]

Discussion: Page 64 to page 70 (Officially ended at 88, but most of 71-88 is Ganondorf discussion)

[Lucario]

Discussion: Page 30 to page 32

[Peach]

Discussion: Page 64 to page 68

[Pikachu]

Discussion: Page 25 to page 27

Overview:
That little annoying rat returns to the fight for the third time, and he may be returning to his Smash 64 glory days! With his ground-hugging Thunder Jolt and air-controlling Thunder, Pikachu can play keep-away and camp with the best of them. He has all the hallmarks of a small, light high tier: quick attacks to combo and keep you on your toes; a long-reaching, effective recovery; and (perhaps, most importantly) a fair amount of power to back it all up. Don't forget, Kirby is in High Tier as well, for much the same reason. This is a fairly even fight, so it will come down to skill, knowledge, and possibly some dumb luck if you want to win.

Pros+Cons:
+Great all-around moveset, both on ground and in air
+Very high-powered, effective smashes
+Two long-range recovery moves are difficult to gimp
+Several damage-racking aerials
-Very light
-Most ranged attacks are more effective up close

Watch out for:
F- and U-smash - Pika's two main killers, the smashes kill to the side and up, respectively. They are fairly quick, on both startup and cooldown, and very powerful even when uncharged.

D-smash – Much like ROB's, this D-smash is a GTFO move. However, it is fairly easy to DI out of, so don't forget to mash up if you get caught in it.

U-throw – Pikachu players' favourite throws on characters they cannot chaingrab. It is a good setup for their aerial game, as well as comboing into Thunder.

N-air – Pikachu's strongest single-hit aerial, as well as his primary aerial killer.

U-air – Quick combo move, as well as a good juggler.

Thunder Jolt – Too spammable for its own good.

Thunder – Very fast, opportunity for low-percent kills if he knocks you high, can hit you out of your Down-B before you finish transforming, can QuACk (see below)

Quick Attack Cancel (QuACk) – Basically, Pikachu QAing into the ground. Pika can use any aerial out of the bounce he gets, or simply ram you with Quick Attack repeatedly. Also can be canceled into Thunder, which just so happens to be equal parts annoying and effective. To counter, spam a quick attack that hits from all sides (B-air does the job nicely).

How to win:
Copy his Neutral-B – I usually leave this for the “Spit out or Swallow?” section, but it's just that important. Copy his Thunder Jolt and spam it. But spam it smartly, or he'll find a way around it.

Find a way around his Neutral-B spam – Jump over them, cancel them with your attacks, or powershield.

Use Final Cutter – It both cancels and counters your opponent's Jolts, as well as give him a projectile (with transcending priority) to worry about. Also, it's useful as a surprise counter if you can predict the Pikachu's approach.

Take to the air – This is your territory. Stick here and your fortunes will improve.

Spit out or Swallow?
Are you kidding? One of the matchups where I will not hesitate to say swallow. Absolutely no reason not to, and it's not like you'll trick a Pika into a Kirbycide and expect to get back to the stage while he falls to his doom.

What NOT to do:
Get overwhelmed by Special spam – If he spams any of his specials, be sure to stay calm. Sometimes simply putting pressure on your opponent will force him to mess up. However, don't get predictable with your response, or he'll take advantage.

Get hit by Thunder – It's very embarrassing. And it kills earlier than you can say Kirby F-smash.

Stages (in order of priority):
Luigi's Mansion – “His only bad level”
Beside the Mansion, your best bet is to go with stages you feel good with. Pikachu has much the same advantages as Kirby does, including Brinstar and Rainbow Cruise
Corneria – Much too easy to KO upward with Thunder. Ban it.
Final Destination/Smashville/Pokemon Stadium 1– Good Pikachu counterpicks. Watch out for them, and don't counterpick them

Synopsis:
All in all, Kirby and Pikachu are very similar. They're both quick, light characters that can both combo and pack a punch; that's why they're where they are on the tier list. Also, neither has any inherent advantage on the other, so it's simply a man vs. man matchup, not a character trying to overcome another character. Keep your wits about you, play cautious, and steal his thunder (literally, not necessarily figuratively). Good luck, and may the best man win.


Major Contributors: Asdioh, Viper JLT4GOV, fromundaman, Mister E, Stealth Raptor

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[Yoshi]

Discussion: Page 22 to page 23

Overview:
The colourful dino returns to Smash for the third time! With his incredible aerial manoeuvrability and dangerously huge double jump, Yoshi can give Kirby a run for his money in the battle to control the skies. But Yoshi's true strength lies in his ground game, using his range to poke and tack damage onto the opponent before he goes for an F-smash, U-smash, or U-air kill. He's deceptively difficult to gimp, as his Up-B now propels him forward slightly, and it can be used multiple times before Yoshi uses his double-jump (complete with flinch resistance up to 120%) to reach the stage safely. Kirby and Yoshi each have their advantages, but in the end, it's about an even fight. May the best man win.

Pros+Cons:
+Small for his weight
+Fastest lateral air speed in the game, beating out even Jigglypuff
+In general, moves have good range, knockback, and priority
+D-air does up to 33% damage and can spike
+Egg Throw (Up-B) is an effective projectile, and a decent horizontal recovery
+Grab release chaingrab on several characters (not including Kirby)
-Horrendous defensive game; even though it cannot be poked and it lasts long, Yoshi cannot jump out of his shield and it has a long ending animation; also, Yoshi has a slow roll-dodge
-Few good approach options, even though Yoshi is a fine camper
-Besides Up-B, very situational specials
-Though Yoshi's recovery is quite difficult to gimp, it is very difficult for Yoshi to recover when gimped

Watch out for:
D-throw - Massive combo opportunity

D-air - It hurts. Alot. Especially when it hits your shield.

Eggs - Very annoying, aimable, spammable, campable, exploding eggs. And they help Yoshi recover in this game.

Double jump armour - It goes by many names. One of them is "ungimpable".

Egg Lay - It's almost as good as Inhale!

Tilts - Impressive spacing and poking tools

U-smash - It hurts. Alot. Except when it hits your shield.

U-air - It will combo into itself. Then it will kill you.

B-air - Yoshi's bread-and-butter move. Does a fair bit of damage, pokes shields, and combos into N-air. What's not to love?

Pivot grab - ******* annoying. Avoid approaching from the ground if you can help it.

How to win:
Gimp his recovery – It's by no means easy, but if you gimp Yoshi downwards, he won't be able to use the miniscule height gain from his Up-B to recover. Always remember to put pressure on him. Remember, even if you hit him but don't gimp him, you're still tacking damage on.

Take the battle to the air - Kirby has the advantage in the air in this fight. Stay up often, and preferably keep the battle on the horizontal plane, not the vertical.

Starshot under the stage - Unless Yoshi keeps an extremely cool head, he will cancel his jump on the underside of the stage and kill himself. Even if he does keep a cool head, you still have time to stage spike him.

Save your kill moves - This may seem like obvious info, but it's especially important in this match. Yoshi can recover from almost anywhere, so save your kill moves until you're certain they'll kill.

Spit out or Swallow?
Spit out. Inhale beats Kirby's Egg Lay in range, hitbox size, and usability. There's no question about it.

What NOT to do:
Underestimate him – Screw the tiers. This is an even matchup. And a Yoshi in the right hands is crazy good.

Get comboed upwards - It will end in a U-air chain, and it will be pretty. But you won't care, because you'll be dead.

Expect to footstool jump his recovery - It looks easy to do, but it isn't. Double Jump air dodge makes sure of that.

Recover from below - Yoshi has a spike. Don't try to recover low unless you want to get hit by it. Always keep the aerial battle horizontal, not vertical.

Stages (in order of priority):
Rainbow Cruise – You're Kirby. You eat rainbows for breakfast.
Jungle Japes – You KO sideways. He KOs upward. Do the math already.
Battlefield - Your preferred neutral. The platforms and relatively small space mess with Yoshi's egg camping, and Kirby can take advantage of the platforms easily against your floaty opponent
Brinstar – Yoshi doesn't like aerial battles.
Mario Bros.– Asdioh said so.
Yoshi's Island (Brawl) - This one is questionable. Some Yoshis love it, while others hate it. Some Kirbys love it, while others hate it. This one goes down to personal preference.
Final Destination – Too. Much. Camping.
Corneria – Kirby doesn't like flat land. Especially around tiny blastzones

Synopsis:
Both Yoshi and Kirby are unique characters. No two matches will ever play alike. You always need to switch your strategy up, and stay one step ahead of the opponent. Always keep the battle horizontal, where you can use your F- and B-airs without having to worry about his U-air. Watch out for his double jump, which can catch you by surprise and prevent a kill, escape a combo, or enable a combo into a kill, in the blink of an eye. Don't get suckered in to attacking recklessly while he's stalling on the edge. He'll stop eventually. When he does, he'll generally come back on to the stage the same way, so read him and counter. This matchup, being even, essentially goes down to individual player skill and knowledge. Know your counterpicks, and you'll do fine.

Major Contributors: Sir 0rion, Asdioh

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[Ganondorf]

Discussion: Page 70 to page 91

[Pokémon Trainer]

Discussion: Page 41 to page 43

[Wolf]

Discussion: Page 35 to page 38

[Diddy Kong]

Discussion: Page 23 to page 25 and Matchup Thread Export

Overview:
Donkey Kong's whimsical little pal joins the Brawl for the first time. He can fly real high with his jetpack on, with his pistols out, he's one tough Kong, Huh! DK. Donkey Kon... *ahem* Diddy's prime asset is his Bananas, used to disrupt and interrupt, break combos and combo, and a plethora of other things. He also has a very effective dash attack, a well-rounded set of aerials, and fairly powerful smashes. You'll need to watch out and play smart if you want to win this match.

Pros+Cons:
+Can wall cling and crawl
+Quick speed overall and generally fast attacks
+Banana peels that hinder the foe's manoeuvrability and create a glide toss option
+3 spikes: D-air, Rocketbarrel Spike, and Monkey Flip
+Ground moves, especially dash attack, combo well
+Large grab range and powerful throws
+Long-ranged, versatile recovery in Side-B and Up-B
-Lack of low-percent kill moves, forcing a reliance on spikes to kill early
-Moderately lightweight
-If Diddy hits a wall when recovering with Up-B, he falls into helpless mode and takes damage

Watch out for:
Bananas - Diddy's bread and butter move. He can have up to 2 out at a time, and they cause tripping on contact, even when you try to roll around them. You always need to watch out for them, and keep in mind that you can pick them up and steal them. Unfortunately, Kirby can't glide toss, so that sucks

F-smash and D-smash– Primary kill moves

Dash attack – Combo starter, and it automatically picks up bananas

Face Hump – The Monkey Flip is incredibly annoying overall

F-air – Diddy's favourite aerial. Good power and speed

U-air – Diddy's aerial killer

D-air – Powerful spike

D-tilt – It pisses me off

How to win:
Stay in the air – Bananas can't trip in the air. Stay up there and you'll be fine. Also, Kirby in general beats out Diddy in the air, so try to get him there and start juggling

Be patient – This match is a test of willpower. Both Diddy and Kirby excel defensively in this matchup, so they both like camping. It helps that neither has a spammable projectile

Gimp him– It isn't all that hard to, even though his Up-B is very long-ranged

Stay defensive – Kirby can camp Diddy! Use ff'd b-airs to keep him at bay, and slowly rack damage on

Pick up bananas with Dash Attack – Your dash attack, like most, can pick up Diddy's bananas. Its the safest way to commandeer the nanerz

Spit out or Swallow?
Diddy's peanuts are meh, keeping the Kirbycide option open would be better.

What NOT to do:
Lose momentum – Diddy is incredibly momentum-based. He can easily get 50% on you in one go if given the chance, or he could set up a banana lock into F-smash if you aren't careful. Keep him on his toes and don't let up.

Get banana locked – The banana lock is pretty much Diddy glide tossing a banana towards you, then glide tossing another one, then glide tossing the first one, and so on. The effect is that of an inescapable banana barrage. Smash DI and roll away asap.

Stay grounded – You're just asking for a banana to the face.

Get comboed – It's hard enough for Diddy to combo as it is. Don't let him use his second biggest asset.

Stages (in order of priority):
Norfair – Messes with his banana game like mad, and forces him in the air
Rainbow Cruise – See Norfair. Also, you're Kirby. Put two and two together
Skyworld – A stage that Diddys in general dislike
Frigate Orpheon – See Skyworld
Battlefield – Your preferred neutral. Diddy </3 platforms
Final Destination– Too much ******* flat land!
Smashville – See Final Destination
Pokemon Stadium 1 – Watch for this counterpick

Synopsis:
Diddy is a major momentum character. He can put tons of damage on you while going untouched, or you can do the same to him. Rarely is it a compromise between the two. Watch out for the naners and stay in the air as much as possible. Ban Final D at all costs. Remember, this match can get very tedious and campy, so stay patient and calm. And, above all, win. *He's back again, and about time too. And this time, he's in the mood*


Major Contributors: MK26, Fromundman, ~Shao~

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[Falco]

Discussion: Page 27 to page 30

[Fox]

Discussion: Page 53 to page 57

[Ike]

Discussion: Page 43 to page 53

[King Dedede]

Discussion: Page 20 to page 22 and Matchup Thread Export

Overview:
The mallet-wielding king of Dream Land joins the Brawl for the first time! His smashes pack an incredible punch, but much speed is traded for that power. His multiple jumps and super armour on his Up-B make up for his low aerial mobility, and his heavy weight almost ensures that he won't need to use that recovery to the fullest. But with heavy weight comes combo possibilities for several opponents, and Kirby is no exception. Dedede has a fair bit of trouble against Kirby, and if you take advantage of that, the fight is in your hands.

Pros+Cons:
+Several disjointed hitboxes in tilts and smashes
+Effective and versatile projectile in Waddle Dee Toss
+Powerful throws, including D-Throw that can chaingrab heavier characters and the B-Throw that does 16% when fresh
+4 mid-air jumps and Up-B with great vertical distance and super armour provide incredible recovery
+Heavy weight, combined with floatiness, make for a character that is difficult to both outright kill and gimp
-Relatively slow
-Worst horizontal air speed in the game
-Predictable recovery allows for edgeguards
-Easy to combo due to weight
-Several laggy attacks
-Large target

Watch out for:
U-tilt - Like Snake's, except not broken. Still powerful...but the range isn't broken

******** grab range - It's ********. Dededes can spam grab all day and just about the only thing you can do is roll away. Spotdodge --> jab could work too

Waddle Dee Toss - Don't touch the ******* Gordo!

B-air - Longer range than yours, and he can SH double b-air. Shield and take advantage of the landing lag

F-tilt - Its huge range is a problem, as it will stop most of your ground approaches

F-smash - Do not airdodge into an F-smash. Ever. I've tried, and it doesn't work.

Dash attack - Possibly the most embarrassing way to ever get killed...

How to win:
Grab combos – D3, being a heavy character, is especially susceptible to Kirby's low percent grab combos. Get him near an edge and you can string together F-throw --> U-air or F-air --> D-air to put him in a difficult position

Stay close – Dedede excels at midrange. Stick close to him to make him uncomfortable

Edgeguard – Dedede's horrendous horizontal air speed makes him a prime target for B-air walls and general edgeguards

Use your tilts – They're too fast for D3 to do much about them. At closer range, D-tilt works wonder. Slightly further away, F-tilt is effective

Spit out or Swallow?
lol
Dedede's has slightly longer range, but more ending lag

What NOT to do:
Use attacks with long ending lag – You have to take advantage of his ending lag...you can't spam slow attacks in the meantime

Try to beat his aerials vertically – What I mean by that is, his U-air beats your D-air and his D-air beats your U-air. Avoid being right above him or right below him, unless you're punishing lag on a missed attack or you're edgeguarding him off-stage

Approach recklessly – Do you seriously want an F-tilt to the face that badly?

Forget his D-throw – Generally, D3s will use B-throw against characters they can't chaingrab, but remember that his D-throw can set up a techchase situation. To be safe, techroll away from Dedede. If you are unable to (ex. the end of the stage is behind you), and are at high percentages, keep an eye out for the dash attack

Let the Waddle Dees be – Always clear them off the stage asap. F-tilt is quite useful for this purpose

Stages (in order of priority):
Jungle Japes – Like against so many others, you can take advantage of the high ceiling here
Rainbow Cruise – You can take advantage of his poor aerial mobility here
Low ceilings– Avoid the U-tilt if he counterpicks Corneria or other low-ceilinged stages
Not much else – Generally, Kirby and Dedede are good on the same stages. None of the neutrals are much of a problem, but none have any inherent advantages for you either

Synopsis:
Kirby, in several ways, is a Dedede counter. He can't be chaingrabbed, though techchasing is possible. Kirby's recovery makes it difficult for Dedede to gimp, while Kirby's gimps make it incredibly for Dedede to recover. Watch for the U- and F-tilts, space to avoid his incredible grab range, and F-tilt to counter Waddle Dees and Doos. And remember...don't touch the ******* Gordo!


Major Contributors: Viper JLV4GOV, Retro Gamer, ~Shao~, Tainted Knives

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[Olimar]

Discussion: Page 61 to page 64

[R.O.B.]

Discussion: Page 57 to page 61

Overview:
QWERTY

Pros+Cons:
+QWERTY
-QWERTY

Watch out for:
QWERTY - QWERTY

How to win:
QWERTY – QWERTY

Spit out or Swallow?
QWERTY

What NOT to do:
QWERTY – QWERTY

Stages (in order of priority):
QWERTY – QWERTY
QWERTY– QWERTY

Synopsis:
QWERTY


Major Contributors: MK26, Qwerty

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stingers135 said:

Brinstar could be good too

NO! That's one of Snake's best stages (probably THE best). No way do you take a snake to Brinstar. Ever.

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~Gonzo~ said:

Luigi's Mansion has been banned from East Coast Regional Circuit.

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~Gonzo~ said:

Luigi's Mansion has been banned from East Coast Regional Circuit. The Matchup was deemed 30-70. However, since then Kirby's game has evolved enough to deal very well with Snake. Grab releasing on the edge when Snake jumps or Bups is one way Kirby has gained an edge. Also two consecutive Bairs and then Inhale when Snake Bups is a very effective gimp which i've seen Chu use countless times and i've tried it myself with much success. Also if u learn to use the grenades Kirby can actually build up quite a lot of damage and stay ahead of the game against snake, in terms of damage. My opinion on this matchup has changed to at best 50-50 at worst 40-60. KIrby's Utilt can also cancel Snake's Utilt which means Kirby will b pushed away from snake enough to shield the utilt instead of having to cancel it. Kirby is a very very versatile character which means he can employ many of his movies in ways previously not thought of. The above mentioned were just a noumber of ways.
Side note: My opinions stand regardless of rebukements. I will not argue why i believe my opinions are what they are but only provide further explanation if asked. I dont have time to argue pointlessly over 5% in the matchup. Thnx

Effective Counter Pick Stages: Jungle Japes and Lylat Cruise.
Jungle Japes: THe high ceiling allows for Kirby to live to ver high damage ~180 depending on how well u DI. Also if u didnt know already Dair is the best move for cancelling ur momentum after being smashed off the stage. Another reason its good is b/c its very easy to grab release Snake on this stage due to the small size and platforms of the stage.

Lylat Cruise: The angled nature of this stage means u can use brick many times as a mindgame as well as to save urself. Also the platforms make it easy for Kirby to use grenades against Snake. Also if u have seen Candy and I's video on platform cancelling it is possible to platform cancel when ur hit through a platform, however, its extremely difficult but if mastered u can use it live to very high percents.

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Asdioh said:

Character: Snake

Difficulty rating: 40-60 Snake's favor

Pros+Cons: Snake is easy to combo, but has fast moves with great priority and can be either easy or hard to gimp, depending on where he is offstage.

Watch out for: UPTILT UPTILT UPTILT! I've had it ko me in the upper 80% range.

How to win: Gimp him, grab him out of his up B and let him fall off to his death, combo him, watch out for ftilt and uptilt. To counter grenade spam, if he doesn't cook grenades and you're playing offline, simply catch and throw back, it's not hard. If he cooks them, you can approach with aerials, time a final cutter, shield, or turn into a rock and take the blow. He may follow up your rock with his mortar slide, which is predictable and punishable.

Stages: Rainbow Cruise is pretty good against Snake. Go for somewhere you can avoid mortar slide, as well as somewhere that will make it hard for him to uptilt (lol). Brinstar could be good too, or Hanenbow if it's legal.

Synopsis: Grab his power to grenade spam, or don't to Kirbycide. Never underestimate Snake, I know I did because I thought I knew how to beat him, and then I lost to a Snake that used nothing but ftilt and utilt. Don't underestimate that crap -_-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE44F79od3M while we're talking about Snake. I apologize for the crappy quality.

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chaos_ said:

so that's his worst matchup?

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Royale said:

is there a way for you to grab snake out of his motar slide? and whats the best way to avoid his UpSmash?

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Nike 20 said:

There is no way that kirby is 60:40 against toon link! On the toon link boards, they list him as 70:30 over kirby (rightfully so)

Edit: My bad, just realized that it's only snake at the moment... Yea, secondary would be best for that lol

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dr.mario guy said:

Brinstar is a bad Snake stage, only benefits he really gets are early kills and maybe some lava saves, Although I think he might have a dthrow infinite on the breakable part on Brinstar.

I would suggest taking Snake to Rainbow Cruise as Kirby.

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CaliburChamp said:

Hmm... I disagree with Kirby having the advantage vs Olimar, its more of an neutral match up. 50:50. Since Olimar can KO Kirby easily, and can spam pikmin well, but Kirby can gimp his recovery easily, so they both have even advantages against each other. And Luigi has the advantage over Kirby since he has a spammable projectile, a brokenly powerful and fast f-smash, more priority especially with cyclone, and is the hardest character to combo for Kirby. So Luigi, is definitly a bad match up. It's like 40:60 in Luigi's favor.

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Commander Blitzkrieg said:

A good stage vs Snake is Weegee's Mansion. The stage is big enough that you can avoid accidentally stepping on mines and such. Plus, Kirby beats Snake in the air, which is where most KOs on that stage normally come from, since ceilings can gimp Fsmash kills sometimes.

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~Gonzo~ said:

Luigi's Mansion has been banned from East Coast Regional Circuit. The Matchup was deemed 30-70. However, since then Kirby's game has evolved enough to deal very well with Snake. Grab releasing on the edge when Snake jumps or Bups is one way Kirby has gained an edge. Also two consecutive Bairs and then Inhale when Snake Bups is a very effective gimp which i've seen Chu use countless times and i've tried it myself with much success. Also if u learn to use the grenades Kirby can actually build up quite a lot of damage and stay ahead of the game against snake, in terms of damage. My opinion on this matchup has changed to at best 50-50 at worst 40-60. KIrby's Utilt can also cancel Snake's Utilt which means Kirby will b pushed away from snake enough to shield the utilt instead of having to cancel it. Kirby is a very very versatile character which means he can employ many of his movies in ways previously not thought of. The above mentioned were just a noumber of ways.
Side note: My opinions stand regardless of rebukements. I will not argue why i believe my opinions are what they are but only provide further explanation if asked. I dont have time to argue pointlessly over 5% in the matchup. Thnx

Effective Counter Pick Stages: Jungle Japes and Lylat Cruise.
Jungle Japes: THe high ceiling allows for Kirby to live to ver high damage ~180 depending on how well u DI. Also if u didnt know already Dair is the best move for cancelling ur momentum after being smashed off the stage. Another reason its good is b/c its very easy to grab release Snake on this stage due to the small size and platforms of the stage.

Lylat Cruise: The angled nature of this stage means u can use brick many times as a mindgame as well as to save urself. Also the platforms make it easy for Kirby to use grenades against Snake. Also if u have seen Candy and I's video on platform cancelling it is possible to platform cancel when ur hit through a platform, however, its extremely difficult but if mastered u can use it live to very high percents.

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~Gonzo~ said:

Luigi's Mansion has been banned from East Coast Regional Circuit.

Click to expand...

Effective Counter Pick Stages: Jungle Japes and Lylat Cruise.
Jungle Japes: THe high ceiling allows for Kirby to live to ver high damage ~180 depending on how well u DI. Also if u didnt know already Dair is the best move for cancelling ur momentum after being smashed off the stage.

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chaos_ said:

isn't snake his worst matchup?

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MK26 said:

Probably. Marth might be worse.

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~Kawaii Bunny~ said:

I have a much easier time with Marth than Snake. I honestly have no idea what to do against Snake. z.z

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Galaxy said:

Just want a number, eh?

7/10.

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