I have decided to make a fully dedicated Wario guide instead of just doing matchups. It might take me awhile to polish this bad boy up, but trust me I will work on this a lot.
FANTASTIC WARIO GUIDE!
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Overview of Wario
1.2 Costumes
1.3 Gameplay
1.4 Frame Data
1.5 Matchups
1.6 Stages
1.7 Conclusion
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the amazing World of Wario. I'm glad you are interested in learning more about this fascinating beast. If you have stumbled upon this thread through a most definitely divine inspiration, then you are welcome as well. However, wary are we of those who come to seek knowledge to exploit the mystic beasts weaknesses. If thy indeed is embarking on such a quest, then I shall proceed to proclaim across these boards to gtfo.
~/~/~ DMG
HERE THERE BE MONSTERS!
~Fiction
Why am I not included in the intro? </3 DMG.
~Phantom X
stnapknah (7:45:10 PM): btw
stnapknah (7:45:16 PM): put me in the frickin guide
~Stnapknah
Sup guys I heard there was a Party here on the Wario boards? Count me in.
~Futile
Did somebody say "Super Bike Wheelie Glitch"? I perfected that you know.
~Morphed Chaos
OMG OMG OMG FUTILE IS HERE? WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS TELL ME?
~3GOD
I am the real God
~God
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1.1 OVERVIEW OF WARIO
Wario is obviously an unusual character. He is short of stature, yet one of the heaviest characters in the game. His reach is poor, yet he has some of the best killing moves in the game. He moves too fast for a fat man. He's a speed demon that is known as the Ungrabbable Mage of the South. With one good read, he can easily take you from 0%-over 50% in 2 seconds flat. There's no place he is in danger at, with his trusty choppah and graceful gliding in the skies. Wario is like a Glass Cannon, except made of titanium steel... That oddly smells like s***.
He is much better in the air than on the ground, as you may have noticed, but his ground game is not to be ignored. With a 6 frame grab that quite frankly is beast, an amazing Forward Smash, and other tricks up his sleeve, Wario is no slouch on the ground either.
Heed my advice young ones, Wario is no easy mare to tame. Few will ever be able to find the key to his fat heart and soul. This road is not one to take if you are easily discouraged. There are bountiful amounts of other characters to use that are much easier than Wario, do not forget that, but embrace it and let it make you a better player overall.
And with that, I encourage you to eat with your Wario, sleep with your Wario, brush your teeth with your Wario, hell do it with your GF... AND Wario. Let the bond develop, trust in him, let him heal your Brawling pains. One day in the distance, when the sun sets over the horizon, you will look at your Wario and thank me for giving you insight on taking it to the next level.
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1.2 COSTUMES
Yes, I know, this is the same pic that Blue Shell has. I will use a different one in a bit, trust me.
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1.3 GAMEPLAY
Let me start this off by stating right off the bat that there is no scientifically best way to play Wario. I've had fairly good success with my style, while people like Reflex, Fiction, Afro Thundah, etc have had success as well with their own respective styles. Instead of copying what we do move for move (not only is this hard to do as Wario, but most characters in general need more than just a player copying vids to get good with them), go play him a little and figure out why we choose certain moves in certain situations. Try to understand that while I might back off or wait in certain circumstances, where Fiction or Reflex might rather decide to try to pound someone in the ground fast, that these are just differences in styles we have, that it's ok for the Wario community to have all sorts of players with different ideas and playstyles, that this makes our character not only more enjoyable but more interesting and possibly even better competitively. So don't over think how you are playing as Wario when you see me running out the clock excessively on someone and then see Fiction brutalizing someone within 5 seconds lol. It's all good, trust me.
Now, honestly a lot of people have come up to me and asked me how to play as Wario, and it's not an easy answer. I mean, sure I can tell you general tips like Dair is amazing, that his airdodge is good and that you can use time to your advantage, but I've not been able to formulate a good way of explaining the subtle things I notice whenever I play against people. I can tell you that a lot of my stuff is player specific, but what good will that do you when the chance of you playing my friends, my other competitors in my region, is small? My best alternative is to just give you a lot of insight into his general gameplay and hopefully let you figure out how to adjust from each player.
Let's start with his ground game. You have his tilts, which are for the most part alright. You have his Smashes, Fsmash is the only notable one if you haven't guessed that already but Usmash and Dsmash are not entirely useless either. You have his Jab, which links nicely into a grab or Fsmash, just know that they can SDI/DI this or escape the follow ups from the first jab if they predict it right. His Grab is fantastic, I cannot stress enough how good his grab is. It comes out in 6 frames, making it one of his fastest moves period, and it's reach is surprising as well. Not to mention that his actual throws, namely Fthrow and Dthrow, either deal a nice chunk of damage (13% on Fthrow fresh) or can lead into follow ups (Dthrow lands them right next to you, leading to a myriad of options).
Now his air game. You have the godly Dair, so good for many reasons. Does a lot of damage, keeps them near you at lower %'s (combo's into Fsmash, grab, Waft and even another Dair if you are fast enough), and it has a most definitely acceptable lag window. His Uair does even more damage than Dair, pops them up a bit in the air, and has a surprising hitbox like most of Wario's moves. Fair and Bair are great pokes, fairly good to edgeguard with, and they create some interesting combo's given the proper spacing and timing. Nair has two hits, making it useful to hitting spotdodgers, it has low landing lag so you can land with Nair if you feel like you need some breathing space, and it's just an overall nice move that meshes well with Wario as a character and personality figure (fat man spinning in the air always draws a laugh lol).
On to his specials. His bike on the ground is kinda just ok, you are left vulnerable sometimes if you hit someone's shield while biking towards them since it has low shield stun, but it does make for a nice projectile shield most of the time. In the air it is a valuable asset to recovering. It's not always necessary to survive, but it's nice to have multiple options on handling recovery. His Chomp is a very unique move, being the only hold-out grab in the game. It's very common for it to trade hits or even completely out prioritize alright to badly spaced moves. It's also basically the only air grab of it's kind in the game.
Down B, otherwise known as Wario's Waft, is a devastating move depending on the timing. After about 55 seconds, you can use the Waft and expect fairly good knockback. The longer you hold it in, the stronger it gets damage wise, the further Wario will travel on his "poot" path, and the more knockback it will do. The exception to this is the full waft, which has amazing vertical knockback but if hit at the base it's horizontal knockback cannot match that of a Poot initiated at, say the 1:30 mark. And now his Upb, which is Wario's absolute last resort when he is recovering. It doesn't automatically sweetspot the edge, which usually isn't that big of a problem with how well Wario recovers normally, but it does tend to get annoying to Upb just a tad too high and eat a Fsmash or Spike. It also is a nice OOS surprise move, but it does seem fairly easy to SDI or even try to normally DI out of, so use with caution.
Approach wise, Dair is usually best. It's safe usually, does a lot of hits, lot of damage, and has a small frame disadvantage. You can approach with other moves, and certainly the move to use depends on where they are positioned, but you usually can't go wrong with Dair.
Defensively, Wario is amazing. His shield I would say is better than average, since it covers him surprisingly well, it lasts a long time, he doesn't slide very far in his shield which I think is usually better than sliding a far distance (see Luigi and not so much but still sliding a bit with IC's), and I think it can take hits fairly well. His spotdodge is amazing as well, works on frame 2 and leave him vulnerable for only 5 frames at the end. Plus he looks cool doing it lol. His ability to weave in and out is also good if you isolate the "in" part lol. Basically, he is very good at what many have deemed as "air camping" where Wario just tries to stay away from his opponent for longer periods of time, usually in the air, to gain an advantage through the timer or ultimately win on time. Many have criticized this as boring and overly tedious, and it's honestly a bit of both for most people. However, if you have the patience to put up with "air camping" then you have another tool in your arsenal to utilize, and having another option can't really hurt a character ya know.
Overall, Wario is a nice air character who is still solid on the ground and thrives in defensive and offensive conditions. He can be a berserk one second and calmly jump around for 5 minutes the next. He can stay in the air all day or he can decide to take lovely strolls towards you and surprise you with BAM Dtilt lol. No matter how you decide to play as Wario, just have fun with him. It's possible to be very competitive with him and still enjoy the simple pleasures of Crawling backwards or taunting or even farting over and over for no reason. This is why we love the fat man.
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1.4
-Ground game
Wario's ground game is still good, but not as great as his air game. A good Wario can mix up both the air and ground game to make himself unpredictable, which helps Wario's style. Note, this is a few basics, if you think of another strategy with some moves, PM me them.
-Jab
First jab: 22 frames
hitbox on frame 8
2nd jab starts on frame 17 (fastest possible jab)
Both jabs is a total of 38 frames
Wario's jab is not his fastest move, but it is by far one of the more useful. This move has moderate range for his moves, but you can jab cancel into a Fsmash (A PhantomX special). You can also Jab cancel into a grab. If you continue the jab, Wario will step forward, which can mess up some opponent's spacing. Don't go spamming your jab though, its only good when the opponent isn't expecting it, and many characters have faster jabs. (ZSS has a 1 frame jab, Ike has a 4 frame jab, Snake has a 5 frame, ext...) Overall, the jab is fine, and can lead into many nice kills.
-Dash Attack
Total frames: 49
Hit on frame 4
This is Wario's fastest move, but one of his worst due to the massive lag afterwords. This can be used to pursue an opponent if you need it and it'll get them in the air, but use this move very sparingly.
-Ftilt
total: 36 frames
hit on frame 14
This move is a killer at around 155%, and has the most range out of all of Wario's moves. This move can be angled up or down, up for more knockback, down to hit smaller characters or characters crouching (But your better off using the Dtilt). You can easily chain this move to your air combos or use it for spacing. Better saved for a surprise kill move, but its still good. Due to the weird lag on this move, you can also use it to punish sidesteppers.
-Dtilt
Total: 33 frames
hit on frame 5
This move has very good range, second only to the Ftilt, and is Wario's 2nd fastest move. This move can challenge and beat MK's Dtilt, one of his favorite spacing moves. This move is very good for continuing an air combo upon landing, as it can shield poke easy. Overall a very good ground move, and very fast too.
-Utilt
Total: 36 frames
hit on frame 9
This move isn't as good as Wario's other tilts, its range is about as big as the jab, but it hits in front and behind Wario, and launches the opponent into the air, exactly where we want him/her! This move is also somewhat of a taunt, as c'mon, its Wario RAISIN' THE ROOF! This tilt can be buffered from the ending lag of a Nair to make for a good combo if the opponent can't shield in time, but you might want to jump instead. Overall an alright move.
-Fsmash
total: 44 frames
Hit on frame 9
SUPER ARMOR: frame 8-11
This is Wario, nuff said. This is his signature shoulder slam, and its a beast. This move has great knockback, and can KO at about 120%. It also has SUPER ARMOR, which can save your life or guarantee a hit. If you can time the SA frames, you can totally negate the knockback of a kill move. If you need to, you can also use the SA frames to go through an opponent's move as well. The SA frames are the frames when Wario moves forward. You can also shutter step (quickly tilt the opposite direction your going to smash, then Cstick smash in the direction you were going to Fsmash.) for extra distance. A very great move.
-Dsmash
Total: 78 frames
First hit on frame 8 (behind Wario)
This isn't a good move compared to Wario's other ground moves, in fact, its worse then the dash attack, but still has its uses. The hitbox lingers for a long time, but with reduced knockback, and it sends people diagonally or to the side. Only use this if you know it'll hit the opponent and will push them away from you, otherwise expect to be punished hard. This can also punish sidestep rollers besides Lucario, so theres a use right there.
-Usmash
Total: 46 frames
First hit on frame 11-21
Able to be DACUS
Now, this is possibly the only good use for the dash, to DACUS it into an Usmash. (DACUS stands for Dash Attack Canceled Up Smash) to DACUS, the easiest way is to run, push the Cstick down, then immediately after press Z and up on the control stick, if you do it right, Wario will slide very far with his Usmash. Not as far as Snake, but its still a good distance. The Usmash itself is alright, but a good opponent can SDI out of it before its over. Best use is for DACUS.
-Wario's Air game
THIS is what makes Wario. Wario is a great air fighter, due to his amazing air speed and acceleration. Wario can literally float like a butterfly in the air. You want to use primary air moves when fighting with Wario, as they are just TOO good!
-Nair
Total frames: 49
First hit on frame 4
second hit on frame 15-38
This is Wario's fastest aerial, and a great OOS (Out of Shield) option. This aerial also has the least landing lag of all Wario's aerials, so its safe to land using this one. Remember, while using this aerial, you can move through the air, so you can use it to chase people or whatever, just note it has somewhat short range. A very good move.
-Fair
Total frames: 37
Hit on frame 5
Auto cancels after frame 26
This move isn't very good compared to Wario's other aerials. It has the most gimpability out of all the aerials, and thats what its used for, besides maybe dodging and poking at someone. The hitbox will stay until the move can be auto canceled. A good aerial for gimping and poking as you can retreat early, but not his best. You can also use it to space, as it is very fast, main use is to poke and gimp.
-Bair
total: 49
First hit on frame 9
Auto cancels after frame 33
This move is Wario's spacing aerial, and is great to use against Marth, it has good reach, but terrible landing lag. Don't SHFF with this aerial unless you want to stand the chance of being punished. This does good damage, and you can do retreating Bairs if you need to play defensively. And remember, this has good reach.
-Uair
Total: 47 frames
First hit on frame 8
Auto cancels after frame 36
This is one of your kill moves, and a very powerful one. It is not the best Uair, but its better then Ike's for killing. You can add this to your air combos early in the stock, or save it for a kill move. The hitbox is Wario, even his backside, so you can time it to hit grounded opponents too. This can kill around 120%, less on light characters. Use this alot on heavy characters, it racks up the damage.
-Dair
Total: 37
First hit on frame 9-21
Auto cancels after frame 24
THIS is what Wario is known for besides the waft. This is your combo move, and it eats shields alive. You can use this aerial to poke or whatever. This is best to start a combo into something like a bite, its very powerful. There isn't much to say, one of Warios best moves.
-Wario's Specials
Wario has some nice specials, his Up B isn't that good, but otherwise his specials are very good. He also has the most powerful killing special that isn't stupidly hard to land (Ike's eruption comes to mind.)
-UpB
Frame 6-28
This is a bad move to use for attacking, as a good opponent can SDI out of it and punish you, its also a last resort for recovery, as its range isn't that good. Use only if its what'll save you, and remember, it doesn't auto sweetspot the ledge. (Wario's double jump doesn't auto sweetspot either >.<)
-SideB
Discussed in a later section.
-Neutral B
Total: 45-95 frames
Grabs on frame 8-27, 73
This is an incredibly good move, its a grab, so you can trade hits with some attacks. (Such as DK's wind up punch if your next to him when he does it) To trade attacks with it, you have to make sure their hurtbox touches the bite's hitbox. This move is a great followup to an air combo, and it can't be shielded. Use this to punish sidesteps and shielders. And another plus, it can eat items, and is very fast at doing it, use this to eat your bike if its still onstage or whatever you want to do. Its very versatile and easily one of his best moves.
-DownB
First Attack Frame:
Charge Level Zero (about 0:00 – 0:17): Trips on Frame 16 (no damage)
Charge Level One (about 0:17 – 0:57): Frame 10
Charge Level Two (about 0:57 – 1:50): Frame 5
Charge Level Three (Full Charge): Frame 9 (Super Armor Frames 5-10)
Knockback:
Charge Time…..Mario KO% (at the center of FD with no DI)
0:56…..………..187 (Useless)
0:58…..………..98
1:00…..………..95
1:05…..………..92
1:10…..………..85
1:15…..………..81
1:20…..………..76
1:25…..………..72
1:30…..………..67
1:35…..………..62
1:40…..………..60
1:45…..………..55
1:50…..………..52
Full…..………...96
Full Charge: from startup of any Waft to Full Charge = 6697 frames (1:51.729 seconds) (copied word for word 3GOD)
This move is Wario's best KO move and can kill at very low percentages. The Haft waft has more knockback then a full waft, and is best used about 1minute 30 secons into the match. Try to master landing the haft waft, it can KO at very very early, it can KO MK at around 52% from the middile of FD with good DI if done right. If it does get fully charged, it has SA frames and does 42 damage. If Wario hits the opponent while going up, it can do some serious knockback as well, but not as much damage. This is such a great move, don't waste it. To land it easily, do it in the air, not on the ground. Remember, it can kill at very low percentages at the side of FD.
-Wario's grab game.
Wario has an average grab game, his grab isn't the longest reaching, but its pretty fast, and you can do some nice damage with his throws.
Grab frames
Standing -6
Dashing -10
Pivot -8
Note, this is faster then some jabs.
-Pummel
This pummel is average, but for what it does, its halarious. Wario doesn't actually punch them, but touches them in a place not many like to be touched.... With a finger. Its just so weird. Use this move to refresh your other moves.
-Bthrow
This throw isn't Wario's best damager, but you can use it to get the person offstage if needed. Best use your other throws. I almost never use this throw, you shouldn't either.
-Fthrow
This is Wario's best throw, it deals very good damage and has good knockback, and can kill at the edge of FD at around 130%. A good throw. Absolutely wrecks light characters in the long run.
-Uthrow
This throw is alright to use, it gets them in the air and deals alright damage. The biggest thing is that against some characters, you can Uthrow to SH full waft and hit them on the way up.
-Dthrow
This throw is weird, it can be used as a psuedo Chaingrab on some characters like Ganon. Wario makes the opponent appear behind him, so turn around and grab quickly. You can also Dthrow to DACUS, which is a great combo.
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1. 5 MATCHUPS
The numbers on the left side of the colon pertain to Wario, and those on the right side of the colon pertain to the opposing character. If it says 60 : 40, then Wario has the advantage. If it says 40 : 60, it means the opponent has the advantage, and etc. Also, to make it easier, I will color code the matchups and put a +, -, or = sign as well. The ones with question marks in parenthesis at the end means that I would need more input on that character to get a good estimate.[/COLOR]
Green means Wario has the advantage ---> + sign
Yellow means the matchup is fairly even or close enough to even ---> = sign
Red means Wario has a disadvantage ---> - sign
Purple means OM NOM NOM ---> OMFG OVER 9000 OM NOM NOM'S
Images are temporary, I will replace them with cooler pics when I have more time.
Bowser: + 60 : 40
Captain Falcon: + 55 : 45 / 5 : 5
Diddy Kong: + 55 : 45
DK: + 65 : 35 / 60 : 40
Falco: = 45 : 55 / 50 : 50
Fox: + 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
Ganondorf: + 65 : 35 / 70 : 30
Ice Climbers: 45 : 55
IKE: + 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
JIGGLYPUFF: 60 : 40
King Dedede: 40 : 60 / 35 : 65
KIRBY: 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
LINK: + 60 : 40
LUCARIO: 55 : 45
LUCAS: + 60 : 40
LUIGI: 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
MARIO: + 60 : 40
MARTH: - 35 : 65 / 40 : 60
MK: - 40 : 60
G^W: 50 : 50
NESS: + 60 : 40
Olimar: 50 : 50 / 55 : 45
PIT: + 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
PEACH : - 40 : 60 / 45 : 55
PIKACHU: 50 : 50 / 55 : 45
Pokemon Trainer Squirtle: 55 : 45
Pokemon Trainer Charizard: + 60 : 40
Pokemon Trainer Ivysaur: + 60 : 40
ROB: 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
Samus: + 60 : 40
Shiek: 50 : 50 / 55 : 45
Snake: = 55 : 45
Sonic: 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
TL: 50 : 50 / 55 : 45
Wario: = OM NOM NOM
Wolf: + 60 : 40 / 65 : 35
YOSHI: 45 : 55 / 55 : 45 (Very even MU, could argue 5 points for either character)
Zelda: + 60 : 40
Zero Suit Samus: - 55 : 45
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FANTASTIC WARIO GUIDE!
Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Overview of Wario
1.2 Costumes
1.3 Gameplay
1.4 Frame Data
1.5 Matchups
1.6 Stages
1.7 Conclusion
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the amazing World of Wario. I'm glad you are interested in learning more about this fascinating beast. If you have stumbled upon this thread through a most definitely divine inspiration, then you are welcome as well. However, wary are we of those who come to seek knowledge to exploit the mystic beasts weaknesses. If thy indeed is embarking on such a quest, then I shall proceed to proclaim across these boards to gtfo.
~/~/~ DMG
HERE THERE BE MONSTERS!
~Fiction
Why am I not included in the intro? </3 DMG.
~Phantom X
stnapknah (7:45:10 PM): btw
stnapknah (7:45:16 PM): put me in the frickin guide
~Stnapknah
Sup guys I heard there was a Party here on the Wario boards? Count me in.
~Futile
Did somebody say "Super Bike Wheelie Glitch"? I perfected that you know.
~Morphed Chaos
OMG OMG OMG FUTILE IS HERE? WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS TELL ME?
~3GOD
I am the real God
~God
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1.1 OVERVIEW OF WARIO
Wario is obviously an unusual character. He is short of stature, yet one of the heaviest characters in the game. His reach is poor, yet he has some of the best killing moves in the game. He moves too fast for a fat man. He's a speed demon that is known as the Ungrabbable Mage of the South. With one good read, he can easily take you from 0%-over 50% in 2 seconds flat. There's no place he is in danger at, with his trusty choppah and graceful gliding in the skies. Wario is like a Glass Cannon, except made of titanium steel... That oddly smells like s***.
He is much better in the air than on the ground, as you may have noticed, but his ground game is not to be ignored. With a 6 frame grab that quite frankly is beast, an amazing Forward Smash, and other tricks up his sleeve, Wario is no slouch on the ground either.
Heed my advice young ones, Wario is no easy mare to tame. Few will ever be able to find the key to his fat heart and soul. This road is not one to take if you are easily discouraged. There are bountiful amounts of other characters to use that are much easier than Wario, do not forget that, but embrace it and let it make you a better player overall.
And with that, I encourage you to eat with your Wario, sleep with your Wario, brush your teeth with your Wario, hell do it with your GF... AND Wario. Let the bond develop, trust in him, let him heal your Brawling pains. One day in the distance, when the sun sets over the horizon, you will look at your Wario and thank me for giving you insight on taking it to the next level.
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1.2 COSTUMES
Yes, I know, this is the same pic that Blue Shell has. I will use a different one in a bit, trust me.
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1.3 GAMEPLAY
Let me start this off by stating right off the bat that there is no scientifically best way to play Wario. I've had fairly good success with my style, while people like Reflex, Fiction, Afro Thundah, etc have had success as well with their own respective styles. Instead of copying what we do move for move (not only is this hard to do as Wario, but most characters in general need more than just a player copying vids to get good with them), go play him a little and figure out why we choose certain moves in certain situations. Try to understand that while I might back off or wait in certain circumstances, where Fiction or Reflex might rather decide to try to pound someone in the ground fast, that these are just differences in styles we have, that it's ok for the Wario community to have all sorts of players with different ideas and playstyles, that this makes our character not only more enjoyable but more interesting and possibly even better competitively. So don't over think how you are playing as Wario when you see me running out the clock excessively on someone and then see Fiction brutalizing someone within 5 seconds lol. It's all good, trust me.
Now, honestly a lot of people have come up to me and asked me how to play as Wario, and it's not an easy answer. I mean, sure I can tell you general tips like Dair is amazing, that his airdodge is good and that you can use time to your advantage, but I've not been able to formulate a good way of explaining the subtle things I notice whenever I play against people. I can tell you that a lot of my stuff is player specific, but what good will that do you when the chance of you playing my friends, my other competitors in my region, is small? My best alternative is to just give you a lot of insight into his general gameplay and hopefully let you figure out how to adjust from each player.
Let's start with his ground game. You have his tilts, which are for the most part alright. You have his Smashes, Fsmash is the only notable one if you haven't guessed that already but Usmash and Dsmash are not entirely useless either. You have his Jab, which links nicely into a grab or Fsmash, just know that they can SDI/DI this or escape the follow ups from the first jab if they predict it right. His Grab is fantastic, I cannot stress enough how good his grab is. It comes out in 6 frames, making it one of his fastest moves period, and it's reach is surprising as well. Not to mention that his actual throws, namely Fthrow and Dthrow, either deal a nice chunk of damage (13% on Fthrow fresh) or can lead into follow ups (Dthrow lands them right next to you, leading to a myriad of options).
Now his air game. You have the godly Dair, so good for many reasons. Does a lot of damage, keeps them near you at lower %'s (combo's into Fsmash, grab, Waft and even another Dair if you are fast enough), and it has a most definitely acceptable lag window. His Uair does even more damage than Dair, pops them up a bit in the air, and has a surprising hitbox like most of Wario's moves. Fair and Bair are great pokes, fairly good to edgeguard with, and they create some interesting combo's given the proper spacing and timing. Nair has two hits, making it useful to hitting spotdodgers, it has low landing lag so you can land with Nair if you feel like you need some breathing space, and it's just an overall nice move that meshes well with Wario as a character and personality figure (fat man spinning in the air always draws a laugh lol).
On to his specials. His bike on the ground is kinda just ok, you are left vulnerable sometimes if you hit someone's shield while biking towards them since it has low shield stun, but it does make for a nice projectile shield most of the time. In the air it is a valuable asset to recovering. It's not always necessary to survive, but it's nice to have multiple options on handling recovery. His Chomp is a very unique move, being the only hold-out grab in the game. It's very common for it to trade hits or even completely out prioritize alright to badly spaced moves. It's also basically the only air grab of it's kind in the game.
Down B, otherwise known as Wario's Waft, is a devastating move depending on the timing. After about 55 seconds, you can use the Waft and expect fairly good knockback. The longer you hold it in, the stronger it gets damage wise, the further Wario will travel on his "poot" path, and the more knockback it will do. The exception to this is the full waft, which has amazing vertical knockback but if hit at the base it's horizontal knockback cannot match that of a Poot initiated at, say the 1:30 mark. And now his Upb, which is Wario's absolute last resort when he is recovering. It doesn't automatically sweetspot the edge, which usually isn't that big of a problem with how well Wario recovers normally, but it does tend to get annoying to Upb just a tad too high and eat a Fsmash or Spike. It also is a nice OOS surprise move, but it does seem fairly easy to SDI or even try to normally DI out of, so use with caution.
Approach wise, Dair is usually best. It's safe usually, does a lot of hits, lot of damage, and has a small frame disadvantage. You can approach with other moves, and certainly the move to use depends on where they are positioned, but you usually can't go wrong with Dair.
Defensively, Wario is amazing. His shield I would say is better than average, since it covers him surprisingly well, it lasts a long time, he doesn't slide very far in his shield which I think is usually better than sliding a far distance (see Luigi and not so much but still sliding a bit with IC's), and I think it can take hits fairly well. His spotdodge is amazing as well, works on frame 2 and leave him vulnerable for only 5 frames at the end. Plus he looks cool doing it lol. His ability to weave in and out is also good if you isolate the "in" part lol. Basically, he is very good at what many have deemed as "air camping" where Wario just tries to stay away from his opponent for longer periods of time, usually in the air, to gain an advantage through the timer or ultimately win on time. Many have criticized this as boring and overly tedious, and it's honestly a bit of both for most people. However, if you have the patience to put up with "air camping" then you have another tool in your arsenal to utilize, and having another option can't really hurt a character ya know.
Overall, Wario is a nice air character who is still solid on the ground and thrives in defensive and offensive conditions. He can be a berserk one second and calmly jump around for 5 minutes the next. He can stay in the air all day or he can decide to take lovely strolls towards you and surprise you with BAM Dtilt lol. No matter how you decide to play as Wario, just have fun with him. It's possible to be very competitive with him and still enjoy the simple pleasures of Crawling backwards or taunting or even farting over and over for no reason. This is why we love the fat man.
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1.4
-Ground game
Wario's ground game is still good, but not as great as his air game. A good Wario can mix up both the air and ground game to make himself unpredictable, which helps Wario's style. Note, this is a few basics, if you think of another strategy with some moves, PM me them.
-Jab
First jab: 22 frames
hitbox on frame 8
2nd jab starts on frame 17 (fastest possible jab)
Both jabs is a total of 38 frames
Wario's jab is not his fastest move, but it is by far one of the more useful. This move has moderate range for his moves, but you can jab cancel into a Fsmash (A PhantomX special). You can also Jab cancel into a grab. If you continue the jab, Wario will step forward, which can mess up some opponent's spacing. Don't go spamming your jab though, its only good when the opponent isn't expecting it, and many characters have faster jabs. (ZSS has a 1 frame jab, Ike has a 4 frame jab, Snake has a 5 frame, ext...) Overall, the jab is fine, and can lead into many nice kills.
-Dash Attack
Total frames: 49
Hit on frame 4
This is Wario's fastest move, but one of his worst due to the massive lag afterwords. This can be used to pursue an opponent if you need it and it'll get them in the air, but use this move very sparingly.
-Ftilt
total: 36 frames
hit on frame 14
This move is a killer at around 155%, and has the most range out of all of Wario's moves. This move can be angled up or down, up for more knockback, down to hit smaller characters or characters crouching (But your better off using the Dtilt). You can easily chain this move to your air combos or use it for spacing. Better saved for a surprise kill move, but its still good. Due to the weird lag on this move, you can also use it to punish sidesteppers.
-Dtilt
Total: 33 frames
hit on frame 5
This move has very good range, second only to the Ftilt, and is Wario's 2nd fastest move. This move can challenge and beat MK's Dtilt, one of his favorite spacing moves. This move is very good for continuing an air combo upon landing, as it can shield poke easy. Overall a very good ground move, and very fast too.
-Utilt
Total: 36 frames
hit on frame 9
This move isn't as good as Wario's other tilts, its range is about as big as the jab, but it hits in front and behind Wario, and launches the opponent into the air, exactly where we want him/her! This move is also somewhat of a taunt, as c'mon, its Wario RAISIN' THE ROOF! This tilt can be buffered from the ending lag of a Nair to make for a good combo if the opponent can't shield in time, but you might want to jump instead. Overall an alright move.
-Fsmash
total: 44 frames
Hit on frame 9
SUPER ARMOR: frame 8-11
This is Wario, nuff said. This is his signature shoulder slam, and its a beast. This move has great knockback, and can KO at about 120%. It also has SUPER ARMOR, which can save your life or guarantee a hit. If you can time the SA frames, you can totally negate the knockback of a kill move. If you need to, you can also use the SA frames to go through an opponent's move as well. The SA frames are the frames when Wario moves forward. You can also shutter step (quickly tilt the opposite direction your going to smash, then Cstick smash in the direction you were going to Fsmash.) for extra distance. A very great move.
-Dsmash
Total: 78 frames
First hit on frame 8 (behind Wario)
This isn't a good move compared to Wario's other ground moves, in fact, its worse then the dash attack, but still has its uses. The hitbox lingers for a long time, but with reduced knockback, and it sends people diagonally or to the side. Only use this if you know it'll hit the opponent and will push them away from you, otherwise expect to be punished hard. This can also punish sidestep rollers besides Lucario, so theres a use right there.
-Usmash
Total: 46 frames
First hit on frame 11-21
Able to be DACUS
Now, this is possibly the only good use for the dash, to DACUS it into an Usmash. (DACUS stands for Dash Attack Canceled Up Smash) to DACUS, the easiest way is to run, push the Cstick down, then immediately after press Z and up on the control stick, if you do it right, Wario will slide very far with his Usmash. Not as far as Snake, but its still a good distance. The Usmash itself is alright, but a good opponent can SDI out of it before its over. Best use is for DACUS.
-Wario's Air game
THIS is what makes Wario. Wario is a great air fighter, due to his amazing air speed and acceleration. Wario can literally float like a butterfly in the air. You want to use primary air moves when fighting with Wario, as they are just TOO good!
-Nair
Total frames: 49
First hit on frame 4
second hit on frame 15-38
This is Wario's fastest aerial, and a great OOS (Out of Shield) option. This aerial also has the least landing lag of all Wario's aerials, so its safe to land using this one. Remember, while using this aerial, you can move through the air, so you can use it to chase people or whatever, just note it has somewhat short range. A very good move.
-Fair
Total frames: 37
Hit on frame 5
Auto cancels after frame 26
This move isn't very good compared to Wario's other aerials. It has the most gimpability out of all the aerials, and thats what its used for, besides maybe dodging and poking at someone. The hitbox will stay until the move can be auto canceled. A good aerial for gimping and poking as you can retreat early, but not his best. You can also use it to space, as it is very fast, main use is to poke and gimp.
-Bair
total: 49
First hit on frame 9
Auto cancels after frame 33
This move is Wario's spacing aerial, and is great to use against Marth, it has good reach, but terrible landing lag. Don't SHFF with this aerial unless you want to stand the chance of being punished. This does good damage, and you can do retreating Bairs if you need to play defensively. And remember, this has good reach.
-Uair
Total: 47 frames
First hit on frame 8
Auto cancels after frame 36
This is one of your kill moves, and a very powerful one. It is not the best Uair, but its better then Ike's for killing. You can add this to your air combos early in the stock, or save it for a kill move. The hitbox is Wario, even his backside, so you can time it to hit grounded opponents too. This can kill around 120%, less on light characters. Use this alot on heavy characters, it racks up the damage.
-Dair
Total: 37
First hit on frame 9-21
Auto cancels after frame 24
THIS is what Wario is known for besides the waft. This is your combo move, and it eats shields alive. You can use this aerial to poke or whatever. This is best to start a combo into something like a bite, its very powerful. There isn't much to say, one of Warios best moves.
-Wario's Specials
Wario has some nice specials, his Up B isn't that good, but otherwise his specials are very good. He also has the most powerful killing special that isn't stupidly hard to land (Ike's eruption comes to mind.)
-UpB
Frame 6-28
This is a bad move to use for attacking, as a good opponent can SDI out of it and punish you, its also a last resort for recovery, as its range isn't that good. Use only if its what'll save you, and remember, it doesn't auto sweetspot the ledge. (Wario's double jump doesn't auto sweetspot either >.<)
-SideB
Discussed in a later section.
-Neutral B
Total: 45-95 frames
Grabs on frame 8-27, 73
This is an incredibly good move, its a grab, so you can trade hits with some attacks. (Such as DK's wind up punch if your next to him when he does it) To trade attacks with it, you have to make sure their hurtbox touches the bite's hitbox. This move is a great followup to an air combo, and it can't be shielded. Use this to punish sidesteps and shielders. And another plus, it can eat items, and is very fast at doing it, use this to eat your bike if its still onstage or whatever you want to do. Its very versatile and easily one of his best moves.
-DownB
First Attack Frame:
Charge Level Zero (about 0:00 – 0:17): Trips on Frame 16 (no damage)
Charge Level One (about 0:17 – 0:57): Frame 10
Charge Level Two (about 0:57 – 1:50): Frame 5
Charge Level Three (Full Charge): Frame 9 (Super Armor Frames 5-10)
Knockback:
Charge Time…..Mario KO% (at the center of FD with no DI)
0:56…..………..187 (Useless)
0:58…..………..98
1:00…..………..95
1:05…..………..92
1:10…..………..85
1:15…..………..81
1:20…..………..76
1:25…..………..72
1:30…..………..67
1:35…..………..62
1:40…..………..60
1:45…..………..55
1:50…..………..52
Full…..………...96
Full Charge: from startup of any Waft to Full Charge = 6697 frames (1:51.729 seconds) (copied word for word 3GOD)
This move is Wario's best KO move and can kill at very low percentages. The Haft waft has more knockback then a full waft, and is best used about 1minute 30 secons into the match. Try to master landing the haft waft, it can KO at very very early, it can KO MK at around 52% from the middile of FD with good DI if done right. If it does get fully charged, it has SA frames and does 42 damage. If Wario hits the opponent while going up, it can do some serious knockback as well, but not as much damage. This is such a great move, don't waste it. To land it easily, do it in the air, not on the ground. Remember, it can kill at very low percentages at the side of FD.
-Wario's grab game.
Wario has an average grab game, his grab isn't the longest reaching, but its pretty fast, and you can do some nice damage with his throws.
Grab frames
Standing -6
Dashing -10
Pivot -8
Note, this is faster then some jabs.
-Pummel
This pummel is average, but for what it does, its halarious. Wario doesn't actually punch them, but touches them in a place not many like to be touched.... With a finger. Its just so weird. Use this move to refresh your other moves.
-Bthrow
This throw isn't Wario's best damager, but you can use it to get the person offstage if needed. Best use your other throws. I almost never use this throw, you shouldn't either.
-Fthrow
This is Wario's best throw, it deals very good damage and has good knockback, and can kill at the edge of FD at around 130%. A good throw. Absolutely wrecks light characters in the long run.
-Uthrow
This throw is alright to use, it gets them in the air and deals alright damage. The biggest thing is that against some characters, you can Uthrow to SH full waft and hit them on the way up.
-Dthrow
This throw is weird, it can be used as a psuedo Chaingrab on some characters like Ganon. Wario makes the opponent appear behind him, so turn around and grab quickly. You can also Dthrow to DACUS, which is a great combo.
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1. 5 MATCHUPS
The numbers on the left side of the colon pertain to Wario, and those on the right side of the colon pertain to the opposing character. If it says 60 : 40, then Wario has the advantage. If it says 40 : 60, it means the opponent has the advantage, and etc. Also, to make it easier, I will color code the matchups and put a +, -, or = sign as well. The ones with question marks in parenthesis at the end means that I would need more input on that character to get a good estimate.[/COLOR]
Green means Wario has the advantage ---> + sign
Yellow means the matchup is fairly even or close enough to even ---> = sign
Red means Wario has a disadvantage ---> - sign
Purple means OM NOM NOM ---> OMFG OVER 9000 OM NOM NOM'S
Images are temporary, I will replace them with cooler pics when I have more time.
Bowser: + 60 : 40
Captain Falcon: + 55 : 45 / 5 : 5
Diddy Kong: + 55 : 45
DK: + 65 : 35 / 60 : 40
Falco: = 45 : 55 / 50 : 50
CG, Lasers, Phantasm, and Shine are all things you have to look out for. The biggest thing to realize is that Falco has a hard time killing if he doesn't get you with CG to spike (rarely happens but it can). Even if he tacks on % from lasers, it's all fine as long as you avoid his kill moves. He is light, and his recovery is vulnerable to edgeguarding (sorta... mostly gotta bait him to react too early). His defensive options can be limited up close with Chomp (besides Jab, his Jab rules Wario's world), no need to worry too much about spotdodge to grab or Dsmash. You do have to watch for Fsmash and Usmash as well, especially if he does tag you with a laser or two up close. I cannot stress this enough, he has a HARD time KILLING you. Abuse it the best you can.
U can kinda sorta camp Falco, depending on what stage you get. Brinstar is great pick, I think RC is pretty safe as well. Ban FD if you can, not too fun fighting Falco there. With Brinstar and RC banned usually these days, you got a rough time ahead of you. Avoid FD and possibly BF please.
Fox: + 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
Ganondorf: + 65 : 35 / 70 : 30
Ice Climbers: 45 : 55
IKE: + 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
JIGGLYPUFF: 60 : 40
King Dedede: 40 : 60 / 35 : 65
KIRBY: 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
LINK: + 60 : 40
LUCARIO: 55 : 45
LUCAS: + 60 : 40
LUIGI: 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
MARIO: + 60 : 40
MARTH: - 35 : 65 / 40 : 60
MK: - 40 : 60
G^W: 50 : 50
NESS: + 60 : 40
Olimar: 50 : 50 / 55 : 45
PIT: + 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
PEACH : - 40 : 60 / 45 : 55
PIKACHU: 50 : 50 / 55 : 45
Pokemon Trainer Squirtle: 55 : 45
Pokemon Trainer Charizard: + 60 : 40
Pokemon Trainer Ivysaur: + 60 : 40
ROB: 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
Samus: + 60 : 40
Shiek: 50 : 50 / 55 : 45
Snake: = 55 : 45
Sonic: 55 : 45 / 60 : 40
TL: 50 : 50 / 55 : 45
Wario: = OM NOM NOM
Wolf: + 60 : 40 / 65 : 35
YOSHI: 45 : 55 / 55 : 45 (Very even MU, could argue 5 points for either character)
Ban FD if you can, practice on breaking to the ground vs him, approach from the top more than the sides, pressure his shield like crazy since his OOS options kinda suck, bite is too good in this matchup, and don't get grabbed.Might be in our favor, might be in his. Very even.
Zelda: + 60 : 40
Zero Suit Samus: - 55 : 45
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