[Guide] The Complete Guide to Zero Suit Samus

infiniteV115 · Jun 23, 2009

Zero Suit Samus
The Guide

Index

About Zero Suit Samus
Move Set
Suit Pieces and Item-Related Advanced Techniques
Other Advanced Techniques, Tips and Tricks
You Must Recover!
Basic Strategy
Match-Ups
Frequently Asked Questions
Thanks and Contributions
Change Log

1. About Zero Suit Samus

Zero Suit Samus (henceforth ZSS) is a new character to the Smash Bros series, making her debut in March 2008 in Smash Bros Brawl. Often considered the faster, less powerful counterpart to Samus, she is actually much different and takes quite a bit of practice and patience to learn and master.

ZSS is colloquially-speaking, a combo character and shines in the air. Her fast, long-range aerial attacks are disjointed and combo well, but have static hitboxes. Her ground game is less impressive but works nonetheless, featuring a strong and versatile dash attack, quick jabs, a long-range (but otherwise terrible) grab, and great spacing tools in Plasma Whip and Paralyzer Shot. Her down smash comes out slowly but can deal some serious damage, her up smash is great for anti-air, and her tilts are all useful. Off-stage, ZSS has great gimping/frame trap capability and a great edge game, with above-average recovery. She is a great survivalist character and not easily gimped in the hands of a good player.

Downsides include a situational though passable shield game (and as such, susceptability to heavy shield pressure), vulnerability to opponents when above them aerially, a terrible forward smash that is literally useless, a grab that comes out slowly and is very punishable if missed, poor shield pressure, and vulnerability to long-range hitstun-inducing projectiles such as Pit's arrows, Falco's laser attacks, or Sheik's needles. New ZSS players will find her learning curve to be on the high side of difficult due to her non-standard approach to combat and the necessity for proper spacing. ZSS also doesn't outright wreck many characters; her matchups are mostly even to slightly advantageous, with only a few strong advantages. However she's a great choice vs. high and top tier characters.

So who should play ZSS? She is a polarizing character that can get wrecked quickly if you aren't good at avoiding situations that aren't good for you. She is difficult to learn at even a basic level, very difficult to master, and each match-up requires a lot of studying and experience (even her "even" ones). However, players who work hard enough will find that ZSS is a very capable character with a lot of good match-ups and is a lot of fun.

2. Move Set
All Frame Data Courtesy of Adapt!

Moves rated in:

/5

Jab (A, A, A); Hitbox out on frame: 1 (total frames unknown)

Samus backhands the opponent once, then punches them with her other hand, and finally jabs with her elbow. Deals 2%, 2%, and 3%.

Zero Suit Samus has a good jab. Players often view it with cynicism because the lack of hit stun in Brawl allows the third hit of her otherwise fantastic jab combo to be power shielded, but it's a great escape tool and seasoned players will finding themselves using ZSS' jab quite a bit.

There are a lot of problems with the jab. As mentioned before, it is easily power shielded after the second hit. Her jab also can't be reliably cancelled by ducking like many other jab. However, the jab combo is inescapable to aerial characters.

Jab of course comes out on frame 1, making it, again, a great escape mechanism on the ground and a really great combo tool. It is possible to jab many characters immediately after a grounded grab release. Try jabbing twice and then dodging, or simply dashing away. The first jab can be used to interrupt some combos and chain grabs as well.

Certain characters cannot power shield the third hit of the jab under normal circumstances. These characters include Toon Link, ROB, Jigglypuff, Mr. Game and Watch, Squirtle, Kirby, and others. However, it is still possible for these characters to power shield the jab if they SDI downward prior to the third hit connecting. There other other characters (including Link and Pit) who are unable to perform any action at max range out of shield after shielding the third jab hit, meaning you can almost repeatedly jab their shield with no repercussions.

In addition, each hit of the jab combo is a separate entry on the attack table, meaning that repeatedly jabbing can be used to refresh stale moves.

Forward Tilt; Hitbox out on frame: 6 (total frames 28)

Samus kicks her opponent, sending them sliding horizontally and dealing 6% or 9%.

Zero Suit Samus has a good forward tilt. The forward tilt is a small kick with a surprisingly large hitbox that comes out fast and has a high percent chance to trip. At middle-to-high percents, the forward tilt can be used to effectively force the opponent away from you. It has good range and is as such a great close-range spacing tool.

The forward tilt can be angled downward or upward by using the control stick. The downward-angled forward tilt has a higher chance to trip the opponent at lower percents. However at middle-to-high percents, the middle- and high-angled forward tilts will trip more often.

The low-angled forward tilt has less range but deals more damage and has a higher knockback.

Forward tilt has a good bit of lag at the end of it, and is thus not a great option out of shield. It is really most useful in situations where you need more range than is offered by down tilt, or when the opponent is aerial.

Down Tilt; Hitbox out on frame: 5 (total frames 25)

Samus ducks and kicks her opponent, sending them upward and dealing 6% damage.

This is one of ZSS' best moves. It is great for shield pressure and great for combo setups. This move has two hitboxes. The first hitbox is near the foot and sends the opponent upward at 90 degrees. If they're closer to Samus, the trajectory is closer to 70 degrees.

While down tilt is really fantastic, it is important to remember that nothing truly combos from it. It strings well until her up aerial, forward aerial, and even Plasma Wire.

A useful technique to learn is the pivot down tilt (simply pivot and then down tilt immediately). It adds 2 frames (pivoting animation is 2 frames), but is useful if you can perform it.

Up Tilt; Hitbox out on frame: 3 (total frames 45)

Samus does a double kick upward, dealing 5% and 6% damage.

This is a great move as well, but is a double-edged sword. It starts up very quickly, is great out of shield, has ridiculous range with a healthy disjoint, has two hitboxes that connect on either side, and sends the opponent at an upward trajectory (which is exactly where a good ZSS player wants their opponent). It is ZSS' best close-range option out of shield. It can also be used to punish failed grabs or laggy attacks, or to punish opponents that are standing behind you.

However, it is very punishable due to its long ending frame lag period. Be careful with this move and don't get predictable.

Dash Attack; Hitbox out on frame: 6 (total frames 31)

Samus kicks forward quickly, dealing 7% damage, or 5% if she hits with the second hitbox.

Zero Suit Samus has a good Dash Attack; it is not only a great attack, but is one of the best of its kind in the game. It comes out fast, has a large hit area with two distinct hitboxes, combos into itself allowing ZSS to "chain grab" opponents across entire stages using buffering, and combos into many other attacks as well.

Like any other Dash Attack, this one is extraordinarily punishable when blocked and is not safe at all.

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This move can also get predictable when spammed. Always be aware of stale move negation and be weary of your opponents!

Info on Dash Attack Locks: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=235429

Forward Smash; hitbox out on frame 20 (total frames 65)

Samus rears back, waits about half an eternity, and then slaps the opponent with her whip, 10-14% total damage.

This is one of the worst attacks in the game, if not the worst. It's slow, doesn't kill until 140% with bad DI, it has terrible ending lag, and deals awful damage.

Forward's sweet spot (the spot between the middle of the whip and the tip of it) doesn't benefit from a full charge, so if you find yourself in one of the, uh, 0.5 situations that call for the use of this move, make sure you at least know whether or not to charge it.

If nothing else, forward smash when used rarely can confuse opponents and can hit surprisingly often; that doesn't make it a good move, though.

Down Smash ; hitbox out on frame 20 (total frames 35)

Samus points her gun at the ground and shoots an area of the ground, stunning the opponent and dealing 11%.

This one of Zero Suit Samus' two stunning attacks and is a trademark move in ZSS' set. This move is iconic; no one ever wants to get hit by this. It's painful, period. This attack stuns the target for 2 seconds (extended at high percentages). During this time, you can do whatever you want. Usually this is followed up by a second down smash for even more damage and an aerial of your choice.

This is a fantastic move and is very strong, featuring a huge hitbox, high damage, transcendent priority and unique stun and combo properties. However, it is important to understand what it means for a light character like ZSS to have a move like this with 20 frames of start-up lag. You will not get this off against a standing opponent. You will not use this to punish approaches, either. Your best bet is to use it to punish dodges, recoveries, moves with heavy landing or ending lag, failed grabs, edge campers, etc.

Down Smash also has a very large hitbox on its underside. As a result you can use this to hit opponents hanging on the edge and drop down for a stage spike.

It is possible to footstool many opponents after an off-stage down smash, killing them without any possibility of them recovering. See Nick Riddle's Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KojNS1UuaOo

Up Smash; Hitbox out on frame: 8 (total frames 45)

Samus waves her magic lasso... err... whip... in the air, dealing 7% total damage across 5 hits.

New players will find themselves using this move quite a bit due to its great role as an anti-air ground move. This move has several hitboxes that whirl around, and it has a very wide range of attack. It is even possible to perform this move out of a dash (ergo a "hyphen smash") thus adding some extra horizontal range to the move but making it a little harder to sweetspot.

However, at high levels of play, this move is upstaged by ZSS' amazing up aerial attack. There are still plenty of uses for this move, such as attacking very mobile characters in the air (such as Wario) that are not very predictable, even if her aerials beat theirs, but if the opponent is above you, there are things you'd much rather be doing. Up Smash is also a great platform poke.

Neutral Air; Hitbox out on frame 6; (landing lag 10, total frames unknown)

Samus smacks the opponent around with her whip, giving them "whiplash" and dealing 10%.

This is a move with a lot of cool, special properties but a lot of irritating limitations as well. Neutral air has article priority rules, meaning it will "clank" with anything (can't be beaten by any attack, but can't beat anything else either). It has two distinct hitboxes, both having distinct properties. It also never enters the attack table and therefore cannot be diminished. Neutral air deals a solid 10% every time you use it. It also combos into several things on grounded opponents at low percents.

However, it also has this weird period of lag after you use the attack that leaves you helpless for a little under a second. This can be negated if you auto-cancel the attack (by using the attack and fast falling immediately to cancel the landing lag). Neutral air also comes out at kind of a weird angle and launches your opponent at an even weirder trajectory. If you use neutral air at high percents, it is solely to space or to get an opponent out of your face. It has no real follow-ups at higher percents and doesn't kill, so the uses become limited. Neutral air is a great mix-up and has some match-up-specific uses (vs. Peach and vs. Pikachu, as examples), but isn't anything you'll have the opportunity to use on a frequent basis.

Up Air; Hitbox out on frame: 4 (landing lag 9, total frames unknown)

....

Samus calls upon the power of the great Sakurai to infuse her legs with Chi, using her "flash kick" to deal 10% or 7% damage.

This is it, folks. Up air is one of the best moves in ZSS' moveset and one of the best aerials in the game. It is the 'nado of aerial attacks. It has incredible priority, a disjointed hitbox, deals high damage, combos into itself at low-to-mid percents, and can kill very early off the top from as low as 30% on stages with low ceilings. It comes out fast, auto-cancels its' own landing lag, is your best option out of shield, and cures cancer. Use and abuse this move. Love this move. There isn't a single aerial in the game that can truly beat up air when spaced correctly.

The "sour spot" up air (used by hitting the opponent with the end half of the move) deals 7% and launches the opponent at a useful trajectory, comboing into back air. This has become more useful as of late, so make sure you practice this. Up air also is a solid frame trap; use this move to force an air dodge, and then use it again for excellent results.

While it should be noted that no move should be "spammed," the up aerial is a fantastic move and you will use it a lot. Together with back air and forward air, ZSS has one of (if not the) strongest aerial game(s) in the game, and this attack is a very strong pillar in that game.

Back Air; Hitbox out on frame 8 (landing lag 9, total frames unknown)

Samus backhands the opponent with her Legs Of Steely Justice, dealing 13% or 12% damage.

This is yet another ridiculous leg-based aerial from Samus Aran. It deals high, high damage, kills, baits, traps, autocancels, and makes hot coffee in 90 seconds.

This is a staple move in the ZSS moveset. It has a disjointed hitbox and beats out attacks like Marth's forward air in terms of range and power. It can be buffered out of a shorthop and done twice before landing. It's a great move for shield pressure. It's arguably ZSS' best kill attack. It can be used during a fast fall for better accuracy. On large characters, it combos into itself at low percents via buffering.

This is a major candidate for stale move negation as it is a very powerful move that is easy to land both in the air and on the ground. It is, along with Plasma Whip, a great spacing tool in ZSS' arsenal. If you choose to use this move frequently, be aware that you might find yourself with fewer kill options at 120%+.

Forward Air; Hitboxes out on frames: 6, 16 (landing lag 16)

No, seriously. What is up with Samus' legs? 17% total damage.

This move has two parts. The first hit deals 6% damage and if sweetspotted sets the opponent up for hit 2. Because of the low hitstun in Brawl, it can be difficult to connect with the second hit. Therefore it is important to aim this move correctly because if you do, it is an absolute beast.

Lately more and more ZSS players have been opting to use the forward air out of a buffered shorthop, which has turned this into a more reliable killing move, especially after a down smash stun.

Hit 2 deals 11% damage (or for whatever reason, 12% if the first hit doesn't connect). If both hits connect, this deals a massive 17% damage, making this ZSS' highest damaging aerial on its' own. It is also nearly as powerful in terms of knockback when compared to back air, but isn't quite as good.

This move takes some practice to hit with, but is very powerful in its own right. It has two disjointed hitboxes, deals high damage, has long range (especially on the second hit, which can beat MK's Mach Tornado if properly spaced), and has very respectable killing power. It is also usually fresh, making it a great candidate for kills at high percents.

Using the first hit of forward air allows you to combo into Dash Attack at Lock percents.

Down Air; Hitboxes comes out on frame: 14, landing (total frames uhhh)

Samus powers her legs with energy equal to that of a falling meteor and crashes into the Earth, suffering five years of landing lag and probably not hitting anything. If by some miracle this lands, she deals 4% damage.

OK, so the move isn't actually that bad. The first hitbox (the one that lasts until you hit the ground) actually spikes, making this pretty useful on Delfino Isle and on the Smashville platform. It also auto-cancels if you're high enough in the air, so if you're close enough to the blast zone, this is a great way to get back to the stage. In addition, this move has high priority and deals 9% damage, which is decent if both hitboxes connect.

However, use this move with care. Don't be predictable. Don't use it every time you're above your opponent. I actually only recommend using this move, at the most, once per set unless you're high enough in the air that it will auto-cancel.

Paralyzer Shot (B); Hitbox out on frame: 21 (total frames unknown)

Samus fires a slow laser attack, stunning opponents based on the length of time you charge the attack. Deals 4-6% damage.

This is a move that has very limited uses but really shines in cases when it works. Like down smash, it is iconic to ZSS and like down smash, no one wants to get hit with it. However, the beam is very slow, not very large, and doesn't have great range. Like Plasma Whip, it is best used as a spacing or baiting tool, and you'll barely ever expect to actually hit with this beam.

If by chance you do hit with it, you have a few choices. You'll usually be far away, though, so they're limited. You can throw a suit piece, if you have one. You can go for a grab (but be careful, because if the stun wears off they can dodge and you'll miss, getting punished). You can also go for a dash attack or Plasma Whip.

You can also use this attack out of a Reverse Aerial Rush or via Wavebounce.

Plasma Whip (Forward B); Hitboxes out on frames: 24, 33 (total frames 43)

Samus extends her whip, dealing 19% total damage.

Once thought of as the move that encapsulated ZSS' ground game, this move is still pretty beastly on paper. It deals 19% damage if you connect with both hitboxes, which is a lot of damage not just for ZSS but for anyone. It also has ridiculous knockback and is ZSS' second strongest kill move.

This move has two hitboxes. The first hitbox is near to Zero Suit Samus and deals 3% damage when it connects. It also propels the target into the second hitbox (barring very difficult SDI) which deals 16% damage. Note that between the two hitboxes, there is a very small but exploitable dead zone that could be a problem for you if your opponent is smart enough to find it or if you just fail to aim.

Like down smash and Paralyzer Shot, the Plasma Whip is iconic. It has a psychological effect because of how strong an attack it is. Because of this and because of its' insane startup time, it is very rare that you will actually hit anyone with it. So, you shouldn't expect to.

Instead, you should use it as a baiting and spacing tool. Use the Whip to force the opponent to jump or go around you and then punish with an aerial; this is just a basic example, though. Find your own mix-ups and strategies!

This move can also be used offstage as a tether recovery.

Also, do not spam it. You will get beaten and punished hard.

Flip Jump (Down B); Intangible: 12; Flipstool on frame: 19; Hitbox out on frame: 27 (total frames 50)

Samus flips forward (or backward) in a direction of the player's choosing.

This is actually several moves in one. The first part is a "jump" that acts as ZSS' third jump while recovering. The first 12 frames of this move allow for intangibility to outside interactions (in other words, you are invincible to damage but also don't interact with any characters or objects), making this a great recovery move.

The second part, active on frame 19, is the "Flipstool." By holding up for the duration of the Flip Jump or by timing a jump when coming in contact with an object, ZSS can footstool ("Flipstool") any object or opponent that she comes in contact with including grenades, bananas, suit pieces, characters, etc.

The third and final part, out on frame 27, is the "Flip Kick." This kick has transcendent priority, along with down smash, and can be activated by pressing A or B during the Flip Jump. It has transcendent priority, thus beating the tornado. It spikes in the first few frames dealing 12% damage. After the first few frames, it deals 9% damage. The kick can be aimed using the control stick. This is ZSS' strongest killing move.

With that said, Flip Jump is not a good move to use on stage. It is a move best used when punishing edgeguard or gimp attemps. You can also down smash an opponent over the edge and Flip Kick them for a free spike.

Plasma Wire (Up B); Hitbox out on frame: 1; (total frames 43)

Samus extends her whip upward, pulling down any opponents toward the ground. This attack deals varying damage based on which hitboxes connect.

Like Flip Jump, this attack has many uses. Unlike most tethers, this one can be used multiple times in the air. It spikes opponents above ZSS when hit with the correct hitbox, pulling them downward. The top hit can be escaped via DI, and if the opponent hits the ground, that can be teched. As a result, this isn't usually the most reliable ground move.

In the air, this is useful as a pillaring attack. Pull opponents down toward you and perform an aerial. Afterward, it is important that you slam the control down mid-match and pronounce that you have performed a "CAKE COMBO!" Note that last sentence as being very important.

Off-stage, it is a spike, and also a useful tether recovery. As a tether recovery, it should be your last resort. However, it is also a very useful tether recovery as it can be used multiple times, has sweetspot range (the edge), and can spike edge hoggers.

Grab; Hitbox out on frame: 16 (total frames wtf)

Samus stands there like an idiot, hoping nothing bad will happen. Wait, that's what happens, right?

ZSS has a terrible grab, but great throws. As a result, it is important to learn when to use the grab, as her throws deal great damage and put the opponent in very bad places. It has a 16 frame start-up (slow) and about an eternity of ending lag if you miss. I am not joking, do not miss with her grab.

Never go for a grab just because you think you can. It is better to never grab in a single match than to grab even once and get punished.

Grabs can be performed to punish shields, landing lag, or out of a Paralyzer Shot. While the opponent is grabbed, ZSS may pummel quickly for 2% damage each time by pressing A.

Down Throw

Samus pops the enemy into the air with her legs of steel, dealing 7% damage.

This is a good throw when used at early percents. It pops them into the air at a great trajectory allowing for move strings. One of the primary problems is that because Brawl lacks hit stun, the opponent can easily avoid any followups.

Back Throw

Samus kicks the enemy over her other leg, dealing 6% damage.

This is a situational throw, but not useless. It's mostly good for sending opponents over the edge if you grab them while standing near one. This is her weakest throw in terms of damage, though, so using it at any other time isn't recommended.

Forward Throw

Samus propels the enemy forward, dealing 9% damage.

This is a great throw. It deals 9% damage, which is the highest of any of Samus' useful throws. It propels the opponent forward, which is a great setup for another grab, a Paralyzer Shot, a Dash Attack, and many other cool things.

Most importantly, it allows you to chain grab Snake, King Dedede, Captain Falcon, Ganondorf, and Bowser from 0-60%+regrab using buffering. Suhweet.

Up Throw

Samus kicks the enemy into the air, dealing 10% damage.

This is not a useful throw unless you really need damage. It deals 10%, which is actually pretty respectable as far as throws go. However the self-induced hit stun (you seriously lag for like 20-30 frames after this throw ends) and the bizarre trajectory make this less useful than any of her other throws and using this is not recommended except as a mixup or in rare circumstances.

Shield

Samus shields. lol

As far as the raw size of the shield, ZSS does OK. Your shield can actually take more of a beating than you'd expect. Like all shields, it comes out in 1 frame, and cancels a dash, which is a useful technique.

ZSS' defensive shield game lacks. She really folds to shield pressure, so despite the decent power and size of the shield itself, you want to try to avoid shielding when you can.

Out of shield, ZSS suffers. You can use a rising up air, up tilt, short hopped retreating nair (on tall characters), jab, or ftilt out of shield, but all of these are situational and none of them cover all of your options.

From a shield, you can roll forward, backward, or dodge. ZSS has a really great forward roll and a really terrible backward roll, so it's recommended that when possible, you pivot into a forward roll rather than using her back roll. Her spot dodge is fine, but be careful as like all spot dodges it is easily punished.

2. Suit Pieces and Item-Related Advanced Techniques

Zero Suit Samus stands out from other characters in Smash Bros. Brawl in that she starts each match with three powerful items (the remnants of her shattered Power Suit). These items are strong. They kill at early percents and fly very far when thrown. It is often said that you can tell a good ZSS from a bad one based on the flexibility and strength of their suit piece game early on in matches.

At the start of each match, it is important to survey your opponent. The most important thing is possibly which character you are facing. Against some characters, it is best to simply throw one or two of the items away, and just hold onto one for mobility purposes. Ironically, this is not always characters with reflecting moves, although it could be if, you aren't comfortable with the items.

One of the most useful techniques is the Glide Toss, explained below. At the start of any match, Zero Suit Samus can glide toss any of the three powerful items across the stage in any direction. While throwing the item directly at your opponent can work, it is not always the best option. Instead, trying throwing a suit piece down into a grab, paralyzer shot, Down Smash, or even a jump; mix it up, and like always, don't get predictable.

The suit pieces also have lingering hitboxes, which means that when thrown on the ground, opponents can be hit with the "ghost" of the actual item while it bounces. This is really useful for creating traps and brick walls, for mind games, and for punishing air and spot dodges. Throwing or hitting your opponent into a bouncing item is great for combos and looks flashy, which is always a plus.

Note that catching an item or picking an item up is as easy as tapping the A button or performing an aerial. Thus, you can Z-Drop an item (explained below) and fast fall an aerial to pick it back up. This is a rather advanced but fantastic brick wall technique!

There are a few techniques you have to learn, separate from ZSS' other Advanced Techs that will help you should you choose to learn them.

Glide Tossing is a technique that allows Zero Suit Samus (and other characters) to perform a strong toss while gliding across the stage. ZSS possesses one of the longer Glide Toss distances in Brawl which is obviously very good for her, because she starts with strong items. To perform a Glide Toss, interrupt the opening frames of a forward roll by tapping the C stick in any direction. (R/L, Tap forward, C stick) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDtdmdkzaro

Weak Glide Tossing is similar to Glide Tossing but less useful and more difficult. It is sometimes useful when fighting Diddy Kong and other enemies that create items. A Weak Glide Toss allows ZSS to Glide Toss with an item while performing a weak toss. This gives you more control over the trajectory of an item but is only useful in narrow circumstances and is very, very technical. To perform a Weak Glide Toss, interrupt a roll with a weak toss. (Tap R/L and release, tap forward and release quickly, tap A or tilt a direction and tap A). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqImRJUXxAw

Pivot Glide Tossing allows ZSS to glide backward while Glide Tossing from the standing position, which is not normally possible for her. To perform, interrupt a Pivot Roll (explained below) with a strong toss. No video available

Jump Cancelled Throw is a technique that is similar to the Glide Toss but with a lesser distance traveled and the ability to pivot during the glide. To perform, cancel a jump with a throw out of a dash. (Tap jump by pressing X or Y, then immediately throw left or right while moving forward) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKL7upNMq6E

Dodge Cancelled Item Throws allow ZSS (and other characters with items) to catch an item out of the air and toss it immediately, whereas usually there is a brief moment of lag after catching an item in which you aren't able to throw it. To perform, air dodge to catch the item and then cancel the air dodge using the C-stick, which throws it. (Dodge by pressing L or R, then use the C-stick in any direction to throw.) No video available

Z-Dropping allows ZSS (and other characters) to drop an item on the ground while in the air. This is not advanced but has quite a few really great followups and is amazing for shield pressure. To perform, tap Z (or grab) in the air while holding an item. No video available

3. Other Advanced Techniques

Pivot Roll is a technique that allows ZSS to use her superior forward roll as a substitute for her terrible back roll while standing our out of a fox trot. To perform, pivot while standing or out of a fox trot and then immediately perform a forward roll. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmC8qOwtf8c

Boost Jumping is a ZSS-exclusive technique that allows her to cancel a jump, footstool, or Flipstool with Plasma Wire, giving her more height. This is a very useful technique when recovering, avoiding damage, and even edgeguarding and gives ZSS the highest jump height potential in the game. To perform, use ZSS' Plasma Wire immediately after jumping. No video available

Aerial Buffering allows ZSS to perform an aerial immediately after jumping, which is really useful for obvious reasons. To perfom, cancel a jump with any aerial (except up air) by performing the aerial immediately after a jump.

4. You Must Recover!

Zero Suit Samus is blessed with a better-than-average recovery that has a style to it all its' own and takes a lot of practice and a little getting used to. Before I explain, say this to yourself several times:

Good ZSS players do not get gimped often.

You may need to say it to yourself a few times, especially if you are from the "tether = lol" school of thought.

I'll wait.

Zero Suit Samus' recovery has four equal parts.

First, her second jump, which is higher than average and can be extended via Boost Jumping. Second, her Flip Jump, which acts as her third jump and of course allows you to Flipstool edgeguarding opponents even while invulnerable. Third, she has her standard Plasma Wire tether which sweetspots the edge from a wide angle and long distance, is usable multiple times, and potentially spikes edgeguarting enemies. And last, she has Plasma Whip, which is similar to Plasma Wire except that it is useful from a more horizontal angle.

So yeah, ZSS has a lot of recovery tools.

The trick to ZSS' recovery is mathematical in nature. Your best option depends a lot on where the opponent is and what their options are. The most important thing is to practice and not to become predictable!

Although ZSS has great recovery, there is no greater recovery tool than DI, or Directional Influence. Directional Influence allows you to change the launch trajectory of any attack. Zero Suit Samus has a very strong momentum cancel in the very fast up aerial, so she has very strong DI and can live for a long time on large stages. Learn to DI.

There's a great guide about DI here already: http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?p=4158733 and any questions you have about DI can be PM'd to a Link main. :laugh:

6. Basic Strategy

Zero Suit Samus thrives in the air, but is acceptable on the ground. What this means is under no circumstance should you ever have to fear an aerial opponent when aiming and spacing well. While in the air, you are a swordsman archetype with disjointed hitboxes and hard-hitting spacing tools.

While on the ground, ZSS is a weak brawler type. Her attacks are all useful and have high priority or come out quickly (and sometimes both) but are quite weak. Your goal in most matches will be to space with the appropriate tools (Plasma Whip, Back Air, Neutral Air, Paraylzer Shot, etc.) until you create an opening that you can exploit.

The previous line is important, because many ZSS players when starting out actually realize this but don't see openings when they come. Watch an experienced ZSS player like Dazwa vs. a less experienced player and you'll notice that Dazwa spends a lot more time in melee range. This is half because Dazwa has huge cajones and half because he's better than most players at finding weaknesses in his opponents' playstyles. Because of this, Dazwa (and other experienced ZSS players) uses less Plasma Whip where as many new players tend to "spam" it or use it more than necessary. Even experienced players tend to abuse it in match-ups they aren't familiar with.

ZSS is thus a character that thrives on punishing. This isn't usually a formula for success, but ZSS as a character is fundimentally and well-built around creating these openings, and with experience you will find that it is a winning formula.

At the start of each match, you have three suit pieces. Depending on who you are facing, it may be a good idea to dispose of two of them and keep one. The longer you remain in control of the suit pieces the better, but in many cases it is a good idea just to remove them from the field. Remember, it is always best to go for the safest option. Having suit pieces turned against you is very bad because they hit hard and ZSS is extremely light (barely heavier than Meta Knight).

In the neutral position, your goal, again, is to try to squeeze a risk out of your opponent. Many characters fear the neutral position but this is where good ZSS players will thrive. The goal from the neutral position is to force a reaction and then capitalize on that reaction by punishing it with an aerial. ZSS has a good juggling game; when an opponent goes where you want them to go, up air is a great option.

Captialize on rolls and spot dodges (and laggy attacks!) by punishing with a down smash. Two down smashes and a forward air is 37% damage fresh! That's a lot of scratch for any character, not just ZSS.

When it comes time to kill, forward air, back air, up air, and in a way, down smash will be your primary killing moves. If properly played, Plasma Whip will be fresh, but while learning the character your Plasma Whip will often be decayed.

7. Match-Ups

The Zero Suit Samus official match-up discussion is located at http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=203418. However, we are quite behind, so with the help of prominent and knowledgeable ZSS mains (really) I have compiled a list of match-up ratios that should be anywhere from roughly accurate to spot-on. However, we have a very strong community here, so any match-up that has not been yet explicitly discussed by us at length has been marked appropriately and should be taken with a grain of salt (anywhere from a 5-10 point margin of error, let's say).

This list is here primarily as a means for new players and those seeking secondaries to decide if ZSS is right for them without being forced to make a post in the Q/A thread. It is not intended to be a definitive match-up reference, although most of it is probably pretty close to being correct.

Code:

5 = even
4 = disadvantage
3 = soft coutner
2 = hard counter
1 = unwinnable or infinite

Meta Knight:            5:5
Snake:                  4:6
Wario:                  5:5
Diddy Kong:             5:5
Falco:                  4:6
King Dedede:            7:3
Marth:                  5:5
Mr. Game & Watch:       6:4
Pikachu:                4:6
Olimar:                 6:4
Ice Climbers:           6:4
R.O.B.:                 7:3
Kirby:                  7:3
Lucario:                5:5
Zero Suit Samus:        Mirror
Toon Link:              6:4
Pit:                    5:5
Donkey Kong:            7:3
Peach:                  5:5
Luigi:                  6:4
Fox:                    4:6
Wolf:                   5:5
Sonic:                  6:4
Sheik:                  5:5
Bowser:                 7:3
Zelda:                  6:4
Charizard:              6:4
Ivysaur:                8:2
Squirtle:               4:6
Ike:                    6:4
Lucas:                  6:4
Ness:                   6:4
Yoshi:                  5:5
Samus:                  5:5
Jigglypuff:             7:3
Captain Falcon:         6:4
Link:                   5:5
Ganondorf:              7:3

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I select and play as ZSS?
A: After selecting Samus, hold the shield button between the character select and stage select screens. In Tournament Mode, flick the C-Stick while the cursor hovers over Samus.

9. Thanks and Considerations

Thanks to:

Yankee and Dazwa for the great pictures.
Adapt for frame data.

10. Change Log

10/06/2010

Move Set Changes:

Jabs (tactical information)
Down Smash (Footstools)
Neutral Air (rating reduced to 2 stars, down from 4 stars)
Back Air (tactical information)
Forward Air (tactical information)
Plasma Whip (tactical information)
Flip Jump (updated to note that ZSS is intangible, not invulnerable, and to note transcendent priority)
Down Throw (rating increased to 4 stars, up from 3 stars)

Basic Strategy:

Removed Suggested Videos. These become outdated too quickly, and there is already a thread in this forum for that very function.

Match-Ups:

Updated match-ups to reflect new discussions; feedback is welcome here, but please keep it to the match-up thread to make our lives a little easier.

General:

I have permanently removed my contact information. Leave me alone! Just kidding, but please instead PM me, ask in the Q/A thread or another community thread if you have any questions. If the questions pertain directly to my guide, please keep any questions to this thread.

Known Issues:

The images in this thread are broken or mis-linked because Image Shack is really bad. If anyone has new images they'd like to submit for the broken ones, it would be much appreciated.

1/08/2010

Move Set Changes:

Forward Tilt (rating changed, tactical information adjusted)
Down Tilt (rating changed,tactical information adjusted)
Forward Smash (tactical information adjusted)
Up Smash (tactical information adjusted)
Up Air (tactical Information Adjusted
Back Air (tactical information corrected to note that back air does not autocancel)
Forward Air (tactical information adjusted

Match-Ups:

Updated match-ups to reflect new discussions; feedback is welcome here, but please keep it to the match-up thread to make our lives a little easier.

General:

Fixed some spelling and grammar issues

7/07/2009

Move Set Changes:

Jabs (attack table information, tactical information)
Down Tilt (Pivot Down Tilts)
Up Air (tactical information)
Back Air (tactical information)
Forward Air (tactical information)
Down Air (rating change only)
Plasma Whip (tactical information)
Forward Throw (tactical information)
Various move ratings re-evaluated

Suit Pieces:

Added information to suit piece game guide
Added information on Dodge Cancelled Item Throws
Added information on Z-Dropping

Recovery:

Added some information on Directional Influence and a link to a proper, in-depth DI guide

Match-Ups:

Included a rough match-up list as a reference for new players

General:

Improved Formatting, added Change Log section
Fixed some spelling and grammar issues

ph00tbag · Jun 23, 2009

I really need to write out the ZSS frame data that I have. I'd be able to help out here.

Supermodel From Paris · Jun 23, 2009

ph00tbag said:
I really need to write out the ZSS frame data that I have. I'd be able to help out here.

That'd be great. Some of the frame data is old and incomplete.

sasook · Jun 23, 2009

YES! Excellent job SFP! Just how it should look like IMO.

Also, I know this will arise soon, so I'll say this now - this doesn't need to be stickied. Putting it in the Resource Center is fine.

Tristan_win · Jun 23, 2009

Downsides include a situational though passable shield game (and as such, susceptability to heavy shield pressure), vulnerability to opponents when above them aerially, a terrible forward smash that is literally useless, a grab that comes out slowly and is very punishable if missed, and vulnerability to long-range hitstun-inducing projectiles such as Pit's arrows, Falco's laser attacks, or Sheik's arrows.

Sheik's needles

Supermodel From Paris · Jun 23, 2009

Tristan_win said:
Downsides include a situational though passable shield game (and as such, susceptability to heavy shield pressure), vulnerability to opponents when above them aerially, a terrible forward smash that is literally useless, a grab that comes out slowly and is very punishable if missed, and vulnerability to long-range hitstun-inducing projectiles such as Pit's arrows, Falco's laser attacks, or Sheik's arrows.

Sheik's needles

lol. Fine.

mountain_tiger · Jun 23, 2009

Wow, brilliant guide SFP! I love it! BTW, here are a few suggestions:

- On the part where you talk about her armor pieces, it might be worth explaining some techniques you can use with them (e.g. throwing them downwards to protect yourself, edgeguarding) and other data that may be of use (like how they have constant hitboxes when bouncing, and which opponents it might be worth throwing one or two away against).

- I don't think FSmash is quite as bad as you're saying it is. Sure, it's not great, but you're suggesting that it's 100% useless. If you have a stale Plasma Whip it can kill at the edges OK, and it's slighter faster than Plasma Whip and with good range. It still sucks, but not as muich as you're saying IMO.

- On your rating for flip jump, you have three pictures for ZSS, then :zero suitsamus:, then another picture of ZSS. Just in case you didn't notice.

Supermodel From Paris · Jun 23, 2009

mountain_tiger said:
Wow, brilliant guide SFP! I love it! BTW, here are a few suggestions:

- On the part where you talk about her armor pieces, it might be worth explaining some techniques you can use with them (e.g. throwing them downwards to protect yourself, edgeguarding) and other data that may be of use (like how they have constant hitboxes when bouncing, and which opponents it might be worth throwing one or two away against).

Yeah, this is planned.

- I don't think FSmash is quite as bad as you're saying it is. Sure, it's not great, but you're suggesting that it's 100% useless. If you have a stale Plasma Whip it can kill at the edges OK, and it's slighter faster than Plasma Whip and with good range. It still sucks, but not as muich as you're saying IMO.

I have spent a very long time messing with fsmash and looking for any quality in it that is even slightly exploitable and the answer is there isn't one. Down Smash and Side B are almost always better. I'm sure there are a few narrow situations in which you might use it, but these situations are so narrow that they would almost never arise and by the time you had thought about it, the moment would be over anyway.

Just Side B instead, decayed or not.

- On your rating for flip jump, you have three pictures for ZSS, then :zero suitsamus:, then another picture of ZSS. Just in case you didn't notice.

Thanks, and yeah I noticed. Actually these kept popping up while I was doing the guy for some reason. I'd delete and fix one and another would pop up somewhere else. Strange. :dizzy:

Charby · Jun 23, 2009

You forgot the dodge canceled item throw for armor pieces

NickRiddle · Jun 23, 2009

Supermodel From Paris said:
5. You Must Recover!

It should be a 4 here. ^^,

Otherwise, very good guide. Lots of reliable information.

Supermodel From Paris · Jun 23, 2009

You forgot the dodge canceled item throw for armor pieces

I'm not sure I know what you mean?

Nicholas.Riddle said:
It should be a 4 here. ^^,

Otherwise, very good guide. Lots of reliable information.

Wow. Yeah, I keep finding typos and other things. Let me know if you see more

Hence · Jun 23, 2009

Shield

...so it's recommended that when possible, you pivot into a forward roll rather than using her back roll. Her spot dodge is fine, but be careful as like all spot dodges it is easily punished.

A small segment on when to forward roll would be nice. There's absolutely no situation off of the top of my mind where rolling backward as ZSS (even pivot F-Rolling) would be the best action in any situation.

This thread seems to be a great start to a simple guide, Sfp.

P.S. : Moveset is one word.

Charby · Jun 23, 2009

There is a way to immediatly throw your items when you grab them in the air

Hence · Jun 23, 2009

Z Dropping?

Supermodel From Paris · Jun 23, 2009

Charby said:
There is a way to immediatly throw your items when you grab them in the air

Oh, right. You can spot dodge and hit Cstick immediately. I'll edit that in soon.

Also, move set is two words.

Charby · Jun 23, 2009

I also think that the neutral b is actually 3/5 , because i found this amazing if you wavebounce it for mindgame

Hence · Jun 23, 2009

Supermodel From Paris said:
Also, move set is two words.

Gosh, I'm sorry.

Surely you understand how I was mistaken.

and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZDgjjDnWLM

Your spelling of "Move Set" had bothered me because I had seen it spelled as one word numerous times.

Supermodel From Paris · Jun 23, 2009

Fake compound words (moveset, everytime, everyone in some cases, etc) are huge pet peeves of mine or I wouldn't have known it.

Kind of OT but when someone says "I like everyone of you!" it drives me crazy.

Hence · Jun 23, 2009

Aha!

An exerpt on jumps is so needed, Sfp. Someone who Fulljumps often or doesn't save their second jump can lose games just because of the major faults that lie within these mistakes. Also discuss falling speed and floatyness.

Btw, by "U-Air being spaced perfectly" it means buffered. I've finally come to realize what you fools were speaking of. xD Jumping in the air and waiting for your opponent before U-Airing is WRONG, your U-Air should come out immediately with your SH or full jump. If done correctly, your U-Air should always hit.

Supermodel From Paris · Jun 23, 2009

Hence said:
Aha!

An exerpt on jumps is so needed, Sfp. Someone who Fulljumps often or doesn't save their second jump can lose games just because of the major faults that lie within these mistakes. Also discuss falling speed and floatyness.

Btw, by "U-Air being spaced perfectly" it means buffered. I've finally come to realize what you fools were speaking of. xD Jumping in the air and waiting for your opponent before U-Airing is WRONG, your U-Air should come out immediately with your SH or full jump. If done correctly, your U-Air should always hit.

You can't actually buffer a uair, but you can use it immediately after jumping, if that's what you mean.

Hence · Jun 23, 2009

Supermodel From Paris said:
You can't actually buffer a uair, but you can use it immediately after jumping, if that's what you mean.

Are you sure?

You can't buffer a jump after a jab or tilt? Surely you can buffer an U-Air if you can buffer a jump.

Zero · Jun 23, 2009

Charby said:
I also think that the neutral b is actually 3/5 , because i found this amazing if you wavebounce it for mindgame

I agree with Charby here, and for the same reason, I'd increase Plasma Whip to a 4/5.

I lol'd at the Ganon face for fsmash.

Great work SFP, it's a solid guide. Now you have to continue to break ZSS by finding a way to cancel the grab lag.

Supermodel From Paris said:
Fake compound words (moveset, everytime, everyone in some cases, etc) are huge pet peeves of mine or I wouldn't have known it.

Kind of OT but when someone says "I like everyone of you!" it drives me crazy.

Ahahahah, I know exactly how you feel, I swear I was the only person who listened during that English lesson.

ThreeSided · Jun 23, 2009

Awesomely well put together guide SFP, congratulations on finishing (starting) it. I'm glad I talked you out of over-using the MK/Ganon head joke. =P

One thing:

The second part, active on frame 19, is the "Flipstool." By holding up for the duration of the Flip Jump or by timing a jump when coming in contact with an object, ZSS can footstool ("Flipstool") any object or opponent that she comes in contact with including grenades, bananas, suit pieces, characters, etc.

You don't have to "time" the jump at all, just hold the button down.

But again, everything else is splendid. This is going to develop into a very well organized and strongly supported guide. I loved the sample videos you gave for Basic Strategy; It seems that you picked them out because you felt they were very good examples of proper ZSS technique, rather than just because they were "awesome" or "impressive". I'd never seen any of them before, and they all actually helped my game play-theory a lot, which is rare to find on videos listed in guides, lest there be some giant list cluttered with video examples that exhibit less-than-proper technique.

Despite what some may have said about your lack of experience, you've been doing a lot for the ZSS community, and I really value and respect your effort. I've honestly never seen somebody so dedicated to working on their character like this, however short lived my experience in the SSB community may be. I really hope you continue to work hard at developing ZSS's Metagame, as well as taking this thread up in the future, and update it regularly. I really feel this guide will help straighten a lot of mediocre players such as myself out. I'm not going to ask you to promise, but I would really like to see this be updated regularly, and for times of brawl history to come. =)

sasook · Jun 23, 2009

sasook said:
YES! Excellent job SFP! Just how it should look like IMO.

Also, I know this will arise soon, so I'll say this now - this doesn't need to be stickied. Putting it in the Resource Center is fine.

So much for that.

Yankee · Jun 23, 2009

Supermodel From Paris said:
Samus calls upon the power of the great Sakurai to infuse her legs with Chi, using her "flash kick" to deal 10% or 7% damage.

Total win. Awesome job SFP!

ohaiduhg · Jun 24, 2009

This is very well put together, and extremely neat, but

Stop hating the FSmash! It's a **** good move! Just because no one here knows how to use it, does not make it bad.

It's launch trajectory will send the opponent flying lower [than sideB] and in very gimpable range on a good number of characters. Side B gets stale and Fsmash is always there to replace it. Not to mention, Fsmash has a different hitbox/sweet spotting than the SideB.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkiadygC_NI

Hence · Jun 24, 2009

If I had the opportunity to F-Smash a recovering opponent, the better option would be to D-Smash > Down+B spike. You ALWAYS have better options than F-Smash.

Edit: Sorry, you weren't referring to recovering. I watched your video. o.O
Your opponent's reaction time has to be horrendous to get hit with an F-Smash while not in stun. If they're stunned, B-Air or Plasma Whip are always better choices because they kill earlier and are much more reliable than an attack with numerous hitboxes.

Zero · Jun 24, 2009

Any charge mindgames that fsmash can be used for, can be also done with dsmash, to much better overall effect. Punishing spotdodges and landed airdodges, predicting rolls, dsmash does it better.

Anything out of dsmash besides fsmash is infinitely better than using fsmash out of dsmash.

In simple terms, fsmash really isn't good.

In the video, the PIt could and should have cancelled the stun and thus recovered. The Falco made the complete wrong decision to recover, using Fire Bird or whatever it's called.

I enjoy stutter step fsmash in friendlies though, for mindgames.

ohaiduhg · Jun 24, 2009

Hence said:
If I had the opportunity to F-Smash a recovering opponent, the better option would be to D-Smash > Down+B spike. You ALWAYS have better options than F-Smash.

Edit: Sorry, you weren't referring to recovering. I watched your video. o.O
Your opponent's reaction time has to be horrendous to get hit with an F-Smash while not in stun. If they're stunned, B-Air or Plasma Whip are always better choices because they kill earlier and are much more reliable than an attack with numerous hitboxes.

The first kill was in stun from Dsmash. The second kill was on wobble frames.

If the person is right in front of you after a Dsmash stun then the Fsmash is wayyyy safer to land than a very sketchy pivot, jump, fast falled Bair hitting in a weird spot or probably not at all.

Why decay a perfectly good move that can be used in a number of other postions than throw out a fresh move you won't use for a while? Why use a move that's most likely stale?

I believe every one of ZSS's moves have a proper time and place.

Supermodel From Paris · Jun 24, 2009

I believe every one of ZSS's moves have a proper time and place.

Then you're wrong. Forward. Smash. Is. Bad.

I don't see why you're arguing that a move with 45 frames (or something) of end lag is a good move when we have other options. You can avoid stale move negation without using a terrible move. Get over it. Fsmash is bad. Dsmash is almost always better and when it isn't, side b is.

sasook · Jun 24, 2009

I fail to see how pivoting, SHing, and doing a FF bair is hard, Darkwater.

ohaiduhg · Jun 24, 2009

Let's see...

Smash the analogue stick and hit the A button versus.

Delicately turning in place, very slightly tapping the X button, quickly changed to fast falling and C-sticking backwards at the perfect timing.

Not even mentioning the Dsmash stun time possibly coming off and getting punished. It has to be done with a heavily charged Dsmash.

I can do both but I'm not gonna try some mini tech move combination over doing the Fsmash. The Fsmash works just fine in it's rightful useful place.

DA->Fsmash is an inescapable combo btw. You saw me do it on Falco. It works on Fox for sure and possibly Wolf. Falco is a problem to ZSS players though is he not?

The Fsmash isn't 5 ZSS/5.
However, you don't have to call the Fsmash this worthless piece of crap move that should be avoided at all costs.

NickRiddle · Jun 25, 2009

DarkWater said:
this worthless piece of crap move that should be avoided at all costs.

"this just about worthless piece of what appears to be crap move that should probably be avoided most of the time"

But, it's pretty bad. I use it just to laugh when it kills, or if my opponent has never seen it before, so I hope they don't DI...
It's cost me matches before.

ph00tbag · Jun 25, 2009

Supermodel From Paris said:
Fake compound words (moveset, everytime, everyone in some cases, etc) are huge pet peeves of mine or I wouldn't have known it.

Kind of OT but when someone says "I like everyone of you!" it drives me crazy.

If two morphemes are both contained in the internal structure of a head, it really doesn't matter a whiff if they are spelled as one or two orthographic words. "Moveset" is the same exact thing as "move set," because the two morphemes that make up the head pattern as one word. You'd have an aneurysm if you spoke German where splitting syntactic words is not allowed in the spelling system except in the case of loan words.

For that matter, given that English is a Germanic language, it stands to reason word creation of the sort you're opposed to has actually been the norm for more of English's history than keeping the morphemes separate. Just another beautiful Germanic paradigm maimed and destroyed at the hands of prescriptivist Latin-fetishists.

Your example with 'everyone' is a completely different situation, because they are syntactically distinct heads.

Sorry. Four years of pooh-poohing prescriptivism is not easily erased.

ohaiduhg · Jun 25, 2009

Nicholas.Riddle said:
"this just about worthless piece of what appears to be crap move that should probably be avoided most of the time"

But, it's pretty bad. I use it just to laugh when it kills, or if my opponent has never seen it before, so I hope they don't DI...
It's cost me matches before.

Because you ~~are nub~~ do not use the move correctly. There are uses and they will be proven in the future. Don't write off the move as unusable.

Nefarious B · Jun 25, 2009

*walks in*

So SFP, that fsmash move kinda sucks doesn't it?

sasook · Jun 25, 2009

DarkWater said:
Delicately turning in place, very slightly tapping the X button, quickly changed to fast falling and C-sticking backwards at the perfect timing.

This is hard for you? Sorry, but that's laughable. That technique is like ZSS basics 101.

DarkWater said:
Not even mentioning the Dsmash stun time possibly coming off and getting punished. It has to be done with a heavily charged Dsmash.

Err, no. Charging a dsmash does not lengthen the time of the stun, it only increases the knockback of the opponent coming out of the stun. Because of this, it's actually better to hit with a not-charged dsmash most of the time. And how on earth could you get punished if you miss and they come out of stun? Coming out of stun is like coming out of a grab air release, there's some time before the opponent can do anything.

DarkWater said:
I can do both but I'm not gonna try some mini tech move combination over doing the Fsmash. The Fsmash works just fine in it's rightful useful place.

Read the first comment I put.

DarkWater said:
Because you ~~are nub~~ do not use the move correctly.

Yes, I'm sure Nick Riddle, one of the best players in all of FL, and one of the very top ZSS players here on our boards who consistently places very high in tourneys, is a nub. -__-

ohaiduhg · Jun 25, 2009

sasook said:
This is hard for you? Sorry, but that's laughable. That technique is like ZSS basics 101.

Err, no. Charging a dsmash does not lengthen the time of the stun, it only increases the knockback of the opponent coming out of the stun. Because of this, it's actually better to hit with a not-charged dsmash most of the time. And how on earth could you get punished if you miss and they come out of stun? Coming out of stun is like coming out of a grab air release, there's some time before the opponent can do anything.

Read the first comment I put.

Yes, I'm sure Nick Riddle, one of the best players in all of FL, and one of the very top ZSS players here on our boards who consistently places very high in tourneys, is a nub. -__-

Anything can be a 101 basic if you think about it hard enough.

You get punished by vulnerable position changes.

Sorry about* nub comment on Dsmash stun. I did not call him a nub. It was a strike out joke.

At any rate, you are still arguing decaying a Bair (which could already be decayed enough at this point) over finishing with an Fsmash that is almost guaranteed freshness.

ph00tbag · Jun 25, 2009

sasook said:
Err, no. Charging a dsmash does not lengthen the time of the stun, it only increases the knockback of the opponent coming out of the stun.

If I recall correctly, it boosts charge time, but not by much. A few frames at the most.

Nefarious B · Jun 25, 2009

It only boosts damage and kb.

[Guide] The Complete Guide to Zero Suit Samus

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