Revven
FrankerZ
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Transition from Brawl to Brawl+
3. Special Moves (B moves)
4. Physical attacks (A moves)
5. Throws
6. Combos
7. Match-ups
8. Stages
9. Videos
Introduction
2. Transition from Brawl to Brawl+
3. Special Moves (B moves)
4. Physical attacks (A moves)
5. Throws
6. Combos
7. Match-ups
8. Stages
9. Videos
Introduction
Donkey Kong in Brawl+ has changed a lot, he still has very good options and what you would expect from the ape. This guide goes as in-depth as possible on how to main DK and what is possible for him. As his meta game develops, this guide will be updated.
Transition from Brawl to Brawl+
Transition from Brawl to Brawl+
DK in Brawl was already pretty good, he had range, the speed, and defense to compete with the likes of Wolf, Pikachu, R.O.B, Peach, and etc. in his area where he is placed on the tier list. A lot has changed when he transitioned to Brawl+. Let me break it down for you.
1. Up B is a weaker recovery.
Despite how good his recovery was in Brawl, it has been hit with somewhat of a nerf. Not only is he more susceptible to meteors like Ganon's Dair, but, he also susceptible to easy edgeguards like long ranged Fsmashes and long ranged Dtilts. It doesn't help that his Up B doesn't snap onto the stage like it used to. You must now learn to recover with him, space your recovery and try to wait it out a bit before you gravitate towards the ledge. Side B helps stalling offstage for one second more to throw players off with your obvious recovery, use it when you can (not all the time). However, this does not destroy him in any way. This recovery "nerf" balances him. Just get used to it and adapt, you will see it's really not that bad.
2. Up B ledgestall is gone.
Due to No Autosweetspot Ledges, DK has lost his Up B ledgestall. If it wasn't obvious from the above block, he no longer snaps the edge, thus, he cannot ledgestall with it anymore. It is both good and bad at the same time. DK no longer has a way to think for a few seconds while on the ledge but, at the same time, he no longer has a powerful planking strategy (although it wasn't truly dominant in Brawl, it was hard to stop for some characters). Take this for what you will.
3. No more double Bair.
Some of you DK mains may be upset at this when you first hear this, but, it really isn't bad at all! He gains a lot more than what he lost. You see, his short hop height was reduced to .850. This was chosen to allow him have better techchasing options as well as hit shorter characters with his Bair. "Techchasing options? What techchasing options?" His Dair folks. Due to lower lag on all his aerials, DK can now use Dair effectively onstage thus, it can be used to techchase with effectively now as well as for combos. This is more worth it than a double Bair that misses shorties at times and is easily shielded by the second one.
4. Gravity, Short Hop, Fastfall, and Full Hop.
DK didn't receive much of a gravity change, the biggest changes are in his short hop and fastfall. Here's the list below so you can see for yourself.
Code:
SH FH FF DGrav Grav
0.850 1.000 1.400 1.000 1.0005. 50% lag on all aerials.
As I mentioned earlier, DK has lower lag on all of his aerials. This is due to a code called "Aerial Lag Reduction". This was done universally amongst the cast (except for a few characters here and there who needed to be separated from the others in ALR). DK's ALR is perfect the way it is, it's enough so Dair ends fast enough but, is still punishable. Bair isn't as laggy as it used to be, thus it is safer to FF (again, the FF changes help this). However, Nair and Fair are still quite laggy and are not really recommended to be used onstage.
Those are the five big changes DK received in Brawl+. He has transitioned well.
Special Moves (B moves)
Neutral B - The Donkey Punch is what I always refer this move to as. It is still very good in Brawl+. Not much has changed to it other than when it connects, it is harder to react to and DI well due to the lower hitlag. However, it is still slow enough that it can be shielded easily at times. It is still really awesome to use the 9 wind-up punch as that is stronger than the fully charged one. Still use this as a defensive move if need be, but, it is VERY good. You can also cargo Utoss to neutral B with it on certain characters. So, use this move as much as you can!!
Donkey Punch no longer goes into fallspecial in the air when you use it.
Side B - You can still Bair > Side B however, it is strict timing. You must do it while his Bair just BARELY ends when he lands, you'll see it as Bair can be AC'd. Just practice it, it's REALLY useful now. You can use it for techchasing unlike in Brawl. Just predict where they are going to roll and Side B into that direction. You are likely able to connect with it and are guaranteed a Sakurai Combo or Fsmash. Dsmash is NOT a good option as it doesn't kill as early on most characters. If you do it in early percents, definitely do Dsmash in this case instead just for damage sake and potential follow-ups. Other than that, this move has not changed much at all, still very situtional.
Down B - Alright, this move has pretty much the same uses it did in Brawl. Use it to punish rolls, spotdodges, and as a keep away move due to its deceiving range. Dtilt (trip) > Down B still works and can have follow-ups right after if you're quick enough. Again, same uses as before, use its deceiving range when your opponent is blindly approaching you.
Up B - As explained above, this move isn't that good anymore offstage. However, ONstage, it is much more useful. You can use it to pressure shields better than you could in Brawl, hell, you'll even slide right past your opponent depending on when you start the Up B. From there, you're behind them and have many options to choose from. Fsmash is my favorite one to do at higher percents, so, use this wisely! Furthermore, at higher percents, the Up B likes to knock people into the air or even at a weird trajectory that lands them onto the ground. If they miss the tech, Dsmash always comes out on top as does Fsmash. If they stand tech, Dsmash is better to use as it isn't as quick as Fsmash and is likely to hit them when their invincibility frames are over. If they techroll, techchase with Dair if you can or Ftilt them if you can.
You may also be able to Up B > grab when you're near an edge and the Up B ends right on the edge. From there it is up to you if you wish to Bthrow, Dthrow, Fthrow, or Uthrow them.
Physical Moves (A moves)
Jab - His jab hasn't really changed much from Brawl other than that it's got some uses that it didn't have before. It obviously (the first hit) still drags you in for grabbing, Ftilt, Dtilt, or something else. The second hit however deals hitstun and you can usually follow-up from it apparently. I believe Jab (both hits) > Utilt might work or jab (both hits) > Usmash might work as well however I have not tested his jab extensively. Like I said, it has its uses, quite situational as it is still kinda slow.
Down Tilt - His down tilt hasn't changed much, much like in Brawl, you can still do Dtilt (trip) > Down B or even without the trip (rarely) but, the best part about that setup now is you can follow-up from it with a Uair. It is likely % based but, I know it works. Other than that, same uses as before and it likely does not infinite against a wall anymore like it does in Brawl (due to hitstun and no stale moves).
Forward Tilt - The forward tilt hasn't changed a whole lot. You really can't use anything new from it, so it's mostly his GTFO move still and eats loads of projectiles like it could before. Same uses, but, the good thing is you can use it as much as you like without having to worry about stale moves. Say hello to Brinstar Ftilt KOs!
Up Tilt - Long range, pretty fast, does a good amount of damage, and has good KB. Good move? I'd say so! It was in Brawl, in Brawl+ it got even better. You can Utilt > Utilt > Dair or Utilt > Utilt > Uair > Uair and etc. It got a lot better in the combo department, although it can be DI'd pretty easily so watch where your opponent goes!
Down Smash - Definitely not as good before (in Brawl). In Brawl+, due to some character's gravity being a bit higher, Dsmash won't kill as early on most characters when it could before. While it may be useful to do as a GTFO move, it won't KO like it used to. Don't use this move that often unless you really want them to get out of your face.
After about a month of playing DK since I wrote about Dsmash, Dsmash is actually useful on smaller characters to middle weights and floaties. Heavyweights it's kinda silly to use on (except Ganondorf who dies relatively early from it). It's not a good idea to use it on spacies unless you plan to combo from it, as it will kill them pretty late compared to everyone else. Use it wisely I suppose would be better to say.
Forward Smash - Nothing's changed with this move. Still a REALLY reliable KO move, his best one as always. Not much to say.
Up Smash - KOs later vertically much like Dsmash but, I find it a lot more useful than Dsmash simply because Usmash can have some follow-ups from it at really low percents like Uair or Bair. Still best to do Dair > Usmash at times but other than that, Usmash got a little nerfed but, it still has more uses than Dsmash currently does.
Neutral Air - Nair is a very situational move. It's not that bad, but, it's not that great of an aerial. Compared to his other aerials, it simply lacks the range. It does have exceedingly good priority though and does send at a weird angle if you land it later than normal. The reason it's mainly not as good as Dair, Bair, or Uair is because DK is basically throwing his hurtbox out at people and he's very vulnerable under him when you use it. It's a situational move but, don't use it as often as Bair or Dair, use it when you feel it is necessary. (needs more work).
Down Air - This move got a major buff due to his shortop height, fastfall speed, and ALR. Dair can be used for techchasing, so you can do Utilt > Utilt > Dair > techchase > grab > Fthrow > Utoss > Uair for example (may not be a true combo, just an example). He reaches the ground fast compared to Brawl so as a result, his Dair has become loads more useful. You can also now ledgehop a Dair and be somewhat safe. Dair > Usmash is also good on certain characters (may send too high on smaller/lighter characters). Overall, a much better aerial and wise to use quite a bit when you can.
Forward Air - Still terrible onstage. I don't even think I need to explain why. The move is too slow, still has too much lag, and just doesn't work onstage. Offstage it's become a much safer aerial because of NASL, so meteoring someone with it is less risky however, Dair may be better for the job. Overall, better than Nair but, still not good to use. (Very situational).
Back Air - Like I said earlier, DK has lost his double Bair, however that was a crutch for him in Brawl. Bair is pretty much the same, it hits harder now because of no stale moves (so you can keep abusing its range without worry of stale) and Bair > Utilt is still a really good setup. You just gotta space this move, it is by far DK's best aerial in his arsenal. Overall, same uses as Brawl, but safer better for comboing.
Up Air - MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH more useful! All you had in Brawl was Utilt > Utilt > Uair and that was it (and uses with it for platforms). Now you have a move that sets up for combos, finishes combos, AND ***** hard from Utilt. I'll get more into how much **** this move is in the next section, I don't want to spoil it!
Throws
Forward Throw - Nothing to say really except the secret way you can escape it at any percent needs to be fixed (not gonna say what that secret is, DK mains should know, if you don't PM me).
Up Throw - For some reason, this move has an actual good use now. Assuming bad DI, you can Uair them right after the Uthrow, it's actually useful! Bout it though.
Back Throw - Still kills really early near the edge on certain stages, puts people who DI badly in a BAD situation (especially if you're an FF'er as you pretty much die).
Down Throw - Interesting thing about this throw now. The Dthrow > Ftilt still works at early percents but, it can be now used as a pesudo-reset setup. When they fall into the tumble, you can walk forward (assuming they miss the tech, which it is very likely) you can Ftilt them and it will force them to stand up, which gets you another grab in if you make it in time.
Forward Toss (Fthrow > Fthrow) - No real good uses except for mind gaming reasons. When someone thinks you're gonna throw them a different way, Ftoss them and follow up with a Uair for their bad DI. Otherwise, this throw isn't worth it, even just to throw them off stage.
Backward Toss (Fthrow > Bthrow) - Pretty much useless, except for the same reason above. However, it is less likely you will get a Uair off because of how much stronger Btoss is in comparison to the Ftoss. Don't use it unless it's for the mind gaming purpose.
Up Toss (Fthrow > Uthrow) - By far, his most useful throw now. It basically let's you hit with Uairs again, you can Uair juggle from it. And if they DI to try and avoid the Uair, you get a good Bair in and can follow their DI. Apparently, with bad DI, you can Utoss near the edge and Dair them for a KO if they don't meteor cancel in time. It is SO good and sexy, probably the BEST upgrade DK has going for him now. USE IT. ABUSE IT. LOVE IT.
Down Toss (Fthrow > Dthrow) - His fourth best throw to use. A good way to get someone off the stage and edgeguard them. It also can mind game someone if they think you are going to Utoss. Basically, use this for gimping like you would before (walk off, turn around, Dtoss towards the middle of under the stage) on bad recoveries (Zelda, Sheik, Ganondorf, Ness, Yoshi, and etc). It CAN be teched at higher percents so watch it, learn the percent at which it puts people into the tumble and you're all good (I will post the %s it puts into the tumble when I get some time).
Here are the throws you should be using with DK, top being the one you should use as much as possible, to the bottom where you shouldn't be using them AS much.
1. Utoss
2. Dthrow
3. Bthrow
4. Dtoss
5. Uthrow
6. Ftoss
7. Btoss
Combos
DK has most of his old combos still intact and at the same time, has gained some new ones. For now, I will list what has stayed for the most part
Dtilt (trip) > Down B
Dthrow > Ftilt (doesn't work at a certain point, will get %s at a later date)
Bair > Side B (stricter timing)
Utilt > Utilt > Uair
Bair > Utilt > Uair
Obviously, there's a lot more than that I believe I am missing that he was capable of doing but, that's beside the point. The fact that he can still do those, being the mainly used combos you see DKs do is good enough. Something special has to be said about Dtilt (trip) > Down B though. You can combo from it with Uair or a RAR'd Bair depending on the opponent's gravity and how quick you are to react.
I'm going to continue updating this section, here's a few teaser combos to keep you cozy for awhile:
Utoss > Uair
Utoss > Donkey Punch (works on most of the cast, Jigglypuff and anyone else really floaty might be an exception)
Utoss > Bair (they have to DI the Utoss behind you)
Fthrow > carry to ledge > Utoss > Dair (ONLY IF THEY DI THE UTOSS AWAY!! Remember, this can be MC'd at early percents, do not use until well into 80%+)
Dair > Uair (awesome KO combo)
Dair > Bair
These are just teasers, I will add more soon.
Some more combos:
Fair > Usmash
Fair > Uair
Dair > Usmash
Weak Bair > Strong Bair > ? (depends where you are)
More later.
Match-ups
Under Construction
Stages
Under Construction
Videos
Donkey Kong+: The Return of the Ape ****
