Underload
Lazy
I've seen an influx of people asking about techniques and exploits recently. Although I do enjoy the discussion that comes with it, a lot of the advice given is fragmented and/or inconsistent. So, as a tiny community project, I'll list various techniques, their uses, how to do them, and why you should learn them. Although the title talks about the bare essentials, I'll leave a section with miscellaneous techs that you might learn for fun, or heck, even find a better use for.
A technique is defined as an exploit or glitch of the mechanics of the game used in a manner beneficial to the player.
If I miss anything that you deem important, then by all means mention it. People forget things. Oh, it's also worth noting that I'm pertaining to a certain level of difficulty here. "You can shield with good timing to stop attacks and have no lag" is a bit too basic to mention here, for example. Also, I won't take the time to mention too many applications of any given technique, there are literally dozens with some. Take the time to experiment in Training mode yourself, and use some of your own creativity
Some credit has to go out to TwentyTwo and -NaPPy for helping me with making this.
Layout:
Name Of Technique [rating] Link To Video
Necessary Inputs To Perform:
***
Reasons To Learn The Tech:
***
(Ratings convey how imperative it is that you learn each technique. They're scaled by category, so don't get confused if there's a 2 in the first section and a 4 in the second one.)
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1 - The Core Techniques
*Almost necessary to learn if you're picking up Snake
Air Dodge-Cancel Throw [3] Visual Example
How To Perform:
This is one of the simplest techniques to learn. Here's the basics: the airdodge has a property where you'll catch / pick up an item if you perform it near one. It also has frames called IASA (interruptible as soon as) frames, where it can be cancelled into another move. Put the two together, and you have the basics for the ADCT. To perform an air dodge-cancel throw, simply grab an item in the air (either lying on the ground / on a platform, or being thrown at you) and hit the c-stick in the direction you want to throw it. This is the same input as a glide toss, if you know what that is.
Why Learn It?:
The ADCT is a defensive technique. It has plenty of shenanigans in combination with your grenades, an example being aerial nade pull -> buffered jump oos -> airdodge -> directional throw. It's also good at repelling your opponent's projectiles, notably other grenades and Diddy's bananas. Use it if you're predicting an item toss from your opponent, or if you want a quick way to throw an item of your own.
Boost Grab [4] Visual Example
How To Perform:
To Boost Grab, you need to have some stylish fingers, since the timing is pretty tight if you want to perform it correctly. Dash in any direction, hit the c-stick down to initiate a dash attack, and almost immediately after you hit the c-stick, press Z (or whatever you grab button is). You should get a slight kick forward before going into your dash grab animation.
Why Learn It?:
This technique's got some interesting applications. You can simply use it as a way to space your grab better and catch your opponent off guard, or you can air release chaingrab a few members of the cast, most notably Falco. It takes some skill and knowledge in the art of buffering to pull off, but try it out and see if you can get it to work.
DACUS (Dash Attack Cancel Up Smash) [5] Visual Example
How To Perform:
The DACUS isn't a Snake-specific tech, but we're one of the most famous users. You perform a DACUS by using the forward momentum that comes from using dash attack while usmashing. There are two main ways to DACUS with Snake. First, you can dash forward, hit the c-stick down to dash attack, and quickly bring it up to initiate an usmash. Providing you did it quickly enough, you should get this to happen.
The other way is a bit more difficult to do, but has its own merits. It's done by dashing forward, hitting the c-stick down to dash attack, and doing a quarter-circle forward with the control stick (it should be pointing straight up in the end), and hitting Z at the same time as the QCF motion. Z + control stick is just another way to use smashes (providing you have default controls). From my experience, this is only possible (or at least easier) with tap jump off. So, as a basic guideline, if you play with tap jump ON, learn the c-stick motion, and learn this motion if you play with it off.
Why Learn It?:
This increases Snake's mobility tenfold. It becomes so much easier for you to maneuver around a stage, it's almost twice as fast as just running. This also makes it a good tool to retreat with, if you're under pressure up-close with somebody.
The DACUS also makes edgeguarding much easier. You can use it at any distance, and end up at the very edge of a stage. Shooting off a mortar, followed shortly by an edgehog, is a great tool for characters that recover from below (Marth, Toon Link, Captain Falcon, etc.)
As a straight-up attack, you can simply hit people with it randomly and hope for the best, or space it well enough so that you hit them with the mortar itself when it pops up.
It's also worth mentioning that there's two ways to DACUS: with contact and without. The timing on DACUS w/ contact is much more liberal, so I highly recommend you learn doing that before you try learning to do it without contact. All the inputs are the same, though.
Grenade Strip [4] Visual Example
How To Perform:
I can't explain HOW this one works. But I can tell you how to do it, because that's my job here. So, to perform a grenade strip, there needs to be one grenade already in play. It can be either in the air, or in the opponent's hands. Any other place (aka the ground) will make the technique unnoticeable. If you pull a second grenade and press shield to drop it, not only will the grenade in your hand drop straight , but so will the other one, no matter where it is. If your opponent is about to throw it, his character will drop it immediately, and continue the throwing animation with no grenade in his hands.
Why Learn It?
This is another defensive technique for Snake. At times, it's wise to throw an undercooked grenade if you're anticipating that your opponent will pick it up, then wait until they start to throw it, and finally strip them of the grenade right when it's thrown to have it blow up in their face. Grenade stripping will also help in grenade placement. For example, you can lob an uncooked grenade normally until it starts going over the ledge, then pull another one and drop it, so the first grenade will fall over the edge and blow up under the stage. This technique has a lot of flexibility, so take a minute to find your own uses.
Pivot Grab [3] Visual Example
How To Perform:
To perform a pivot grab, dash in one direction, and hit the other horizontal direction + grab. You'll turn around (with a bit of a slide if you do it with good timing), and grab in the other direction.
Why Learn It?:
When you pivot grab, your grab range increases by a huge amount. It's seriously broken. Use it to punish approaches from above, or as a run-away tactic if your opponent is coming at you from the ground. An overall simple concept, with tons of uses. Punish stupid approaches with this. And also, you should be using pivot grabs to punish aerial approaches A LOT (especially while the opponent is has end lag from using an aerial). Just learn the timing and apply whenever necessary (which is quite often).
Wavebounce / B-Reversal [5] Visual Example 1 / Visual Example 2
How To Perform:
One of the more complex of techniques. Both wavebounce and b-reversal are names for the same thing, so don't get confused by that. However, there are two versions of this technique, so for the sake of convenience, I'll refer to the more complex version as wavebouncing, and the other as simple b-reversal.
Wavebounce:
This one is more difficult to get good at, but is absolutely necessary to learn. It's performed by using any special except Up + B, and immediately hitting the control stick in the opposite direction. You'll know you did this technique correctly if you perform the intended special, but with a fairly sizable push in the other direction.
Simple B-Reversal:
Imagine yourself in the air, ledgehopping off of the left ledge on Battlefield. To simple b-reverse in this situation, hit left (aka the direction opposite to what you're facing at the moment), and then use any special. You should perform the special normally, but facing in the opposite direction. This is most noticeable and useful with the grenade, however C4 has its merits.
Why Learn It?:
Wavebouncing and simple b-reversal are both EXTREMELY useful for Snake. When recovering from above, Snake has limited options and will be hit by his opponent quite often, simply because he has no options to defend himself from below. To combat this, wavebounce in the other direction when the opponent has commited to chasing you to throw them off your tail and land safely.
Simple b-reversal has its uses, although they're a bit more limited. One of its most notable uses is approaching backwards with a grenade in your hand. Jump forward, simple b-reverse to turn yourself around (but don't throw the grenade that's now in your hand), and use it to jump at opponents. Most everything your opponent your opponent can hit you with will cause the grenade to blow up and deal decent damage / knockback.
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2 - Minor Exploits
*Less useful and more situational than the techniques in section 1, but still worth learning
Boost Pivot Grab [3] Visual Example
How To Perform:
Boost pivot grab is the illegitimate child of boost grab and pivot grab, quite literally. To perform the BPG, simply input a dash attack command, and hit the control stick in the opposite direction and grab. The result should be a grab in the opposite direction you dashed, with a sizable slide.
Why Learn It?:
This is just an offshoot of pivot grabbing. Imagine the things that make regular pivot grab good, but magnified in some aspects. BPG is safer in how you get more of a slide when using it, which makes grabbing characters out of aerials / specials that much easier. It's also easier to cross people up, since you can run past them and BPG, again using the additional slide to your advantage.
Jump-Cancelled Item Throw [1] Visual Example
How To Perform:
The JCIT is a shallow technique by nature when used by Snake. For him, it's definitely an improvement over his glide toss, but he still rarely benefits from its effects. However, to perform it, you simply dash in one direction, do a quarter circle upward from the direction you're dashing, and throw the grenade via c-stick before you can actually jump. This isn't even the bare bones of the tech (barebones: put in a jump command and hit the c-stick in any direction before you actually jump), it's just the most common application. I'll explain a couple of more in the next section.
Why Learn It?:
This technique has potential, but in less obvious facets than you would think. One of my favorite applications is nade throw out of shield. All you do is hold down shield, jump, and throw the grenade as soon as possible. It's obviously quicker than dropping your shield first. Its only other real use is as an improved glide toss, which I mentioned above.
Pivot Walk [1] Visual Example
How To Perform:
This is just about the weirdest tech I've ever encountered. I'll keep this short. To perform, you need to be holding down A while Snake is doing nothing. It doesn't matter what you do to get it there, as long as you didn't hit it in combination with another button, or let go of it at some point. While you're holding A, walk in either direction (walk =/= run, mind you) and hit the c-stick diagonally upward in the direction opposite of the one you're walking in for a split second, and then letting go. So, as an example, you're holding A and walking toward the left, you would hit the c-stick diagonally up and to the right (or northeast of the c-stick were somehow a compass.) The result of doing this is you moving to the left, but facing right (or vice versa) while doing it.
Why Learn It?:
I don't even know why. It looks cool, and I'm pretty sure you walk faster. There's also some pivot shenanigans, namely jab. Try it out.
Velox Drop [1] Visual Example
How To Perform:
This is one of the strangest techniques ever discovered (named after Velox aka crystal aka Xeylode). To perform it, you need to be in the air with a grenade in your hand, directly above a platform (for example, the moving platform on SV or the 3 platforms on BF. Y'know, that kind), and holding the shield button. Then, when you're about an inch above the platform. The measurement varies from TV to TV, but you get the general idea. Anyway, when you're an inch about the platform holding the shield button, hit down on the control stick and hold it for a second. If performed correctly, you should drop through the platform while leaving the grenade behind. If done too early, you'll land on the platform holding your shield. If done too late, you'll spotdodge on the platform. Use those parameters to find the correct timing, if my explanation doesn't make sense.
Why Learn It?:
This is the ultimate fun mindgame, seriously. I use it inbetween my opponent's stocks, and I feel holy whenever it works. But besides that, it has minor uses. If you pull and hold a grenade while recovering directly above a platform, your opponent will assume you're going to land on said platform. If you Velox drop correctly, you can completely avoid your opponent. Also, dropping through the platform replenishes your second jump, so use that to your advantage.
Z-Catch [3] Visual Example
How To Perform:
Extremely simple, it isn't even an exploitation. All characters have a sweet spot around their head when they're in the air, that if you press Z, you'll grab an item with absolutely no lag. All you do is jump by an item, and press Z. That's it.
Why Learn It?:
This is useful in conjunction with the ADCT. Use that if you want to throw the item immediately, and use the Z-catch if you just want to grab the item and hold onto it. Absolutely amazing if you want to play keep-away with Diddy and his bananas.
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3 - Tidbits & Tips
*Minor exploits / applications of game mechanics that come in handy often
Aerial Pickup [2]
*It's possible to pick up a grounded grenade with an aerial out of shield. From my experience, you can do this with every aerial, although I may be wrong. To perform, simply hit up / jump button while in your shield, and immediately press a direction on the c-stick / A to use an aerial. Double jump nair out of shield is a good way to cook grenades.
C4 Recovery [4]
*While recovering with the cypher, it's possible to drop down and out of it, drop a C4 in the air (down + b), and immediately detonate it to blow yourself up. Despite the extra damage, you'll gain your cypher back, and you can use the knockback of the detonation itself to guide yourself back onto the stage.
Crouch [5]
*Snake stays VERY low to the ground while crouching. This has a ton of applications that will make life easier for you. Use it to get under half of Ganon's moveset, Falco's lasers, Fox's blaster, and Pit's arrows (if unguided). There are many others that I'm probably forgetting, test this out and see if there's any more you can find.
Cypher Tricks [2]
*Very simple tidbits.
- You can use an aerial while in the cypher animation
- You can use a special while in the cypher animation
- You can wavebounce while in the cypher animation
- You can press down to instantly come out of the cypher animation
- You can airdodge while in the cypher animation
- You can go as high as you want with the cypher, you will never Star KO yourself
- If you jump before using cypher, you'll start off with a little bit of boost, and cover more ground in less time
Dthrow Tips [4]
*Dthrow has tons of uses. Snake has the best techchase in the entire game, thanks to dthrow. Now, when you use dthrow on someone, they have 5 options. Roll forward, roll backward, get up attack, get up in place, and simply wait. Predict what your opponent will do, and run to them to regrab / follow up. You can also dthrow on the very edge of a stage, and instantly follow up with a jab / tilt, since your opponent will instantly go into the falling animation.
Grab Release Shenanigans [3]
*Grab releases are very important to understand in this game. If you hold somebody in a grab, and don't throw them in a direction, they'll eventually jump out of your hands and go into the air. This is called an air release. Some characters have very exploitable air releases. If you constantly pummel somebody, and they break out during a pummel animation, then they'll release on the ground, which is also helpful in some situations. *all releases are air releases unless stated otherwise*
- Bowser - Dash attack, boost grab
- Captain Falcon - Dash attack
- Falco - Dash attack, boost grab
- Ganon - Dash attack, DACUS, boost grab
- Lucas - *GROUND RELEASE* Jab (sometimes), Ftilt, Dtilt, Utilt
- Metaknight - Dash attack, boost grab (trades hits)
- Ness - *GROUND RELEASE* Jab, Ftilt, Dtilt, Utilt (Dtilt needs to be buffered), Regrab if Ness doesn't land too far away
- Sheik - Buffered DACUS, boost grab
- Squirtle - Dash attack, boost grab
- Wario - Nair, Uair, Bair, Utilt
- Wolf - Buffered DACUS
Grenade Cooking [5]
*Most of the time, it's wise not to throw grenades instantly. You have 3 seconds before detonation. Spend some of that time doing something else, and then throw the grenade at your opponent. Instead if just pegging them for 3%-4%, the grenade will blow up in their face for 12%. An easy concept with about 1,000,000 ways to perform it. Try it out for yourself and see what you like.
Grenade Counter [3]
*When predicting an attack, pull a grenade and shield with the intent to powershield the oncoming attack. 9 time out of 10, you'll shield the attack, and your opponent's attack will cause the grenade to blow up in their face. Since they can't physically shield it, they'll essentially be countered by said grenade.
Grenade Grab [2]
*Pull grenade, dash forward / backward with it in your hand, and grab. Useful for delicate spacing, or trying to bait an approach because your opponent sees you with a grenade in your hand.
Jab -> Ftilt [3]
*You can link the first hit of jab into forward tilt on about 2/3 of the cast. It's as easy as it sounds. Press A to use jab1, then ftilt. Try it out yourself to find the timing, it's hard to explain through the use of text.
Ledge Tech [5]
*Press the shield button to tech off of a wall, if you're in the middle of hitstun. This is EXTREMELY useful when C4 recovering, I highly recommend you learn to do it perfectly. Since Snake's cypher is slow, and you'll find yourself recovering from below at times, it may also be worth it to learn its use in that situation.
Shield Drop [4]
*Pull a grenade. Press shield. The grenade drops out of your hands, onto the ground, and you go back to regular movement.
Sliding Spotdodge [2]
*While holding a grenade (same scenario as the grenade grab), dash forward or backward and do a spotdodge. You'll get a semi-decent slide in whatever direction you do it in, and the grenade will drop, leading to some pretty nice followups. It's highly recommended you dash backwards while doing it, and stay away from going forward with it. Going back leaves you with a pretty nice defensive setup, since the grenade will be sitting directly in front of you.
Zero Lag Grenade Land [1]
*If you pull a grenade in the air and hold down shield in the air, you'll immediately put up your shield when you hit the ground. There's no startup lag, and that isn't a generalization. ZERO FRAMES OF LAG ON STARTUP. You can use this to safely land on top of your own mines (which detonate in 2 frames). You'll powershield it every time, if you're doing it correctly.
4 - Additional Literature
*Really cool links you should probably take a look at if you want to be decent with Snake.
Advanced Grenade Tactics by SuSa
COMPLETE Frame Data Directory by Dookur173
Diving into Dthrow - Everything you need to know about tech chasing by SuSa
How to Cook Pineapples: Stupid Grenade Tricks by gammonwalker
~Snake's Attacks and KO percents~ by __crystal____
Solid Snake's Hitbox AND Frame Data by Eternal Yoshi
Surviving a Cypher Grab Break by SuSa
A technique is defined as an exploit or glitch of the mechanics of the game used in a manner beneficial to the player.
If I miss anything that you deem important, then by all means mention it. People forget things. Oh, it's also worth noting that I'm pertaining to a certain level of difficulty here. "You can shield with good timing to stop attacks and have no lag" is a bit too basic to mention here, for example. Also, I won't take the time to mention too many applications of any given technique, there are literally dozens with some. Take the time to experiment in Training mode yourself, and use some of your own creativity
Some credit has to go out to TwentyTwo and -NaPPy for helping me with making this.
Layout:
Name Of Technique [rating] Link To Video
Necessary Inputs To Perform:
***
Reasons To Learn The Tech:
***
(Ratings convey how imperative it is that you learn each technique. They're scaled by category, so don't get confused if there's a 2 in the first section and a 4 in the second one.)
1 - The Core Techniques
*Almost necessary to learn if you're picking up Snake
Air Dodge-Cancel Throw [3] Visual Example
How To Perform:
This is one of the simplest techniques to learn. Here's the basics: the airdodge has a property where you'll catch / pick up an item if you perform it near one. It also has frames called IASA (interruptible as soon as) frames, where it can be cancelled into another move. Put the two together, and you have the basics for the ADCT. To perform an air dodge-cancel throw, simply grab an item in the air (either lying on the ground / on a platform, or being thrown at you) and hit the c-stick in the direction you want to throw it. This is the same input as a glide toss, if you know what that is.
Why Learn It?:
The ADCT is a defensive technique. It has plenty of shenanigans in combination with your grenades, an example being aerial nade pull -> buffered jump oos -> airdodge -> directional throw. It's also good at repelling your opponent's projectiles, notably other grenades and Diddy's bananas. Use it if you're predicting an item toss from your opponent, or if you want a quick way to throw an item of your own.
Boost Grab [4] Visual Example
How To Perform:
To Boost Grab, you need to have some stylish fingers, since the timing is pretty tight if you want to perform it correctly. Dash in any direction, hit the c-stick down to initiate a dash attack, and almost immediately after you hit the c-stick, press Z (or whatever you grab button is). You should get a slight kick forward before going into your dash grab animation.
Why Learn It?:
This technique's got some interesting applications. You can simply use it as a way to space your grab better and catch your opponent off guard, or you can air release chaingrab a few members of the cast, most notably Falco. It takes some skill and knowledge in the art of buffering to pull off, but try it out and see if you can get it to work.
DACUS (Dash Attack Cancel Up Smash) [5] Visual Example
How To Perform:
The DACUS isn't a Snake-specific tech, but we're one of the most famous users. You perform a DACUS by using the forward momentum that comes from using dash attack while usmashing. There are two main ways to DACUS with Snake. First, you can dash forward, hit the c-stick down to dash attack, and quickly bring it up to initiate an usmash. Providing you did it quickly enough, you should get this to happen.
The other way is a bit more difficult to do, but has its own merits. It's done by dashing forward, hitting the c-stick down to dash attack, and doing a quarter-circle forward with the control stick (it should be pointing straight up in the end), and hitting Z at the same time as the QCF motion. Z + control stick is just another way to use smashes (providing you have default controls). From my experience, this is only possible (or at least easier) with tap jump off. So, as a basic guideline, if you play with tap jump ON, learn the c-stick motion, and learn this motion if you play with it off.
Why Learn It?:
This increases Snake's mobility tenfold. It becomes so much easier for you to maneuver around a stage, it's almost twice as fast as just running. This also makes it a good tool to retreat with, if you're under pressure up-close with somebody.
The DACUS also makes edgeguarding much easier. You can use it at any distance, and end up at the very edge of a stage. Shooting off a mortar, followed shortly by an edgehog, is a great tool for characters that recover from below (Marth, Toon Link, Captain Falcon, etc.)
As a straight-up attack, you can simply hit people with it randomly and hope for the best, or space it well enough so that you hit them with the mortar itself when it pops up.
It's also worth mentioning that there's two ways to DACUS: with contact and without. The timing on DACUS w/ contact is much more liberal, so I highly recommend you learn doing that before you try learning to do it without contact. All the inputs are the same, though.
Grenade Strip [4] Visual Example
How To Perform:
I can't explain HOW this one works. But I can tell you how to do it, because that's my job here. So, to perform a grenade strip, there needs to be one grenade already in play. It can be either in the air, or in the opponent's hands. Any other place (aka the ground) will make the technique unnoticeable. If you pull a second grenade and press shield to drop it, not only will the grenade in your hand drop straight , but so will the other one, no matter where it is. If your opponent is about to throw it, his character will drop it immediately, and continue the throwing animation with no grenade in his hands.
Why Learn It?
This is another defensive technique for Snake. At times, it's wise to throw an undercooked grenade if you're anticipating that your opponent will pick it up, then wait until they start to throw it, and finally strip them of the grenade right when it's thrown to have it blow up in their face. Grenade stripping will also help in grenade placement. For example, you can lob an uncooked grenade normally until it starts going over the ledge, then pull another one and drop it, so the first grenade will fall over the edge and blow up under the stage. This technique has a lot of flexibility, so take a minute to find your own uses.
Pivot Grab [3] Visual Example
How To Perform:
To perform a pivot grab, dash in one direction, and hit the other horizontal direction + grab. You'll turn around (with a bit of a slide if you do it with good timing), and grab in the other direction.
Why Learn It?:
When you pivot grab, your grab range increases by a huge amount. It's seriously broken. Use it to punish approaches from above, or as a run-away tactic if your opponent is coming at you from the ground. An overall simple concept, with tons of uses. Punish stupid approaches with this. And also, you should be using pivot grabs to punish aerial approaches A LOT (especially while the opponent is has end lag from using an aerial). Just learn the timing and apply whenever necessary (which is quite often).
Wavebounce / B-Reversal [5] Visual Example 1 / Visual Example 2
How To Perform:
One of the more complex of techniques. Both wavebounce and b-reversal are names for the same thing, so don't get confused by that. However, there are two versions of this technique, so for the sake of convenience, I'll refer to the more complex version as wavebouncing, and the other as simple b-reversal.
Wavebounce:
This one is more difficult to get good at, but is absolutely necessary to learn. It's performed by using any special except Up + B, and immediately hitting the control stick in the opposite direction. You'll know you did this technique correctly if you perform the intended special, but with a fairly sizable push in the other direction.
Simple B-Reversal:
Imagine yourself in the air, ledgehopping off of the left ledge on Battlefield. To simple b-reverse in this situation, hit left (aka the direction opposite to what you're facing at the moment), and then use any special. You should perform the special normally, but facing in the opposite direction. This is most noticeable and useful with the grenade, however C4 has its merits.
Why Learn It?:
Wavebouncing and simple b-reversal are both EXTREMELY useful for Snake. When recovering from above, Snake has limited options and will be hit by his opponent quite often, simply because he has no options to defend himself from below. To combat this, wavebounce in the other direction when the opponent has commited to chasing you to throw them off your tail and land safely.
Simple b-reversal has its uses, although they're a bit more limited. One of its most notable uses is approaching backwards with a grenade in your hand. Jump forward, simple b-reverse to turn yourself around (but don't throw the grenade that's now in your hand), and use it to jump at opponents. Most everything your opponent your opponent can hit you with will cause the grenade to blow up and deal decent damage / knockback.
2 - Minor Exploits
*Less useful and more situational than the techniques in section 1, but still worth learning
Boost Pivot Grab [3] Visual Example
How To Perform:
Boost pivot grab is the illegitimate child of boost grab and pivot grab, quite literally. To perform the BPG, simply input a dash attack command, and hit the control stick in the opposite direction and grab. The result should be a grab in the opposite direction you dashed, with a sizable slide.
Why Learn It?:
This is just an offshoot of pivot grabbing. Imagine the things that make regular pivot grab good, but magnified in some aspects. BPG is safer in how you get more of a slide when using it, which makes grabbing characters out of aerials / specials that much easier. It's also easier to cross people up, since you can run past them and BPG, again using the additional slide to your advantage.
Jump-Cancelled Item Throw [1] Visual Example
How To Perform:
The JCIT is a shallow technique by nature when used by Snake. For him, it's definitely an improvement over his glide toss, but he still rarely benefits from its effects. However, to perform it, you simply dash in one direction, do a quarter circle upward from the direction you're dashing, and throw the grenade via c-stick before you can actually jump. This isn't even the bare bones of the tech (barebones: put in a jump command and hit the c-stick in any direction before you actually jump), it's just the most common application. I'll explain a couple of more in the next section.
Why Learn It?:
This technique has potential, but in less obvious facets than you would think. One of my favorite applications is nade throw out of shield. All you do is hold down shield, jump, and throw the grenade as soon as possible. It's obviously quicker than dropping your shield first. Its only other real use is as an improved glide toss, which I mentioned above.
Pivot Walk [1] Visual Example
How To Perform:
This is just about the weirdest tech I've ever encountered. I'll keep this short. To perform, you need to be holding down A while Snake is doing nothing. It doesn't matter what you do to get it there, as long as you didn't hit it in combination with another button, or let go of it at some point. While you're holding A, walk in either direction (walk =/= run, mind you) and hit the c-stick diagonally upward in the direction opposite of the one you're walking in for a split second, and then letting go. So, as an example, you're holding A and walking toward the left, you would hit the c-stick diagonally up and to the right (or northeast of the c-stick were somehow a compass.) The result of doing this is you moving to the left, but facing right (or vice versa) while doing it.
Why Learn It?:
I don't even know why. It looks cool, and I'm pretty sure you walk faster. There's also some pivot shenanigans, namely jab. Try it out.
Velox Drop [1] Visual Example
How To Perform:
This is one of the strangest techniques ever discovered (named after Velox aka crystal aka Xeylode). To perform it, you need to be in the air with a grenade in your hand, directly above a platform (for example, the moving platform on SV or the 3 platforms on BF. Y'know, that kind), and holding the shield button. Then, when you're about an inch above the platform. The measurement varies from TV to TV, but you get the general idea. Anyway, when you're an inch about the platform holding the shield button, hit down on the control stick and hold it for a second. If performed correctly, you should drop through the platform while leaving the grenade behind. If done too early, you'll land on the platform holding your shield. If done too late, you'll spotdodge on the platform. Use those parameters to find the correct timing, if my explanation doesn't make sense.
Why Learn It?:
This is the ultimate fun mindgame, seriously. I use it inbetween my opponent's stocks, and I feel holy whenever it works. But besides that, it has minor uses. If you pull and hold a grenade while recovering directly above a platform, your opponent will assume you're going to land on said platform. If you Velox drop correctly, you can completely avoid your opponent. Also, dropping through the platform replenishes your second jump, so use that to your advantage.
Z-Catch [3] Visual Example
How To Perform:
Extremely simple, it isn't even an exploitation. All characters have a sweet spot around their head when they're in the air, that if you press Z, you'll grab an item with absolutely no lag. All you do is jump by an item, and press Z. That's it.
Why Learn It?:
This is useful in conjunction with the ADCT. Use that if you want to throw the item immediately, and use the Z-catch if you just want to grab the item and hold onto it. Absolutely amazing if you want to play keep-away with Diddy and his bananas.
3 - Tidbits & Tips
*Minor exploits / applications of game mechanics that come in handy often
Aerial Pickup [2]
*It's possible to pick up a grounded grenade with an aerial out of shield. From my experience, you can do this with every aerial, although I may be wrong. To perform, simply hit up / jump button while in your shield, and immediately press a direction on the c-stick / A to use an aerial. Double jump nair out of shield is a good way to cook grenades.
C4 Recovery [4]
*While recovering with the cypher, it's possible to drop down and out of it, drop a C4 in the air (down + b), and immediately detonate it to blow yourself up. Despite the extra damage, you'll gain your cypher back, and you can use the knockback of the detonation itself to guide yourself back onto the stage.
Crouch [5]
*Snake stays VERY low to the ground while crouching. This has a ton of applications that will make life easier for you. Use it to get under half of Ganon's moveset, Falco's lasers, Fox's blaster, and Pit's arrows (if unguided). There are many others that I'm probably forgetting, test this out and see if there's any more you can find.
Cypher Tricks [2]
*Very simple tidbits.
- You can use an aerial while in the cypher animation
- You can use a special while in the cypher animation
- You can wavebounce while in the cypher animation
- You can press down to instantly come out of the cypher animation
- You can airdodge while in the cypher animation
- You can go as high as you want with the cypher, you will never Star KO yourself
- If you jump before using cypher, you'll start off with a little bit of boost, and cover more ground in less time
Dthrow Tips [4]
*Dthrow has tons of uses. Snake has the best techchase in the entire game, thanks to dthrow. Now, when you use dthrow on someone, they have 5 options. Roll forward, roll backward, get up attack, get up in place, and simply wait. Predict what your opponent will do, and run to them to regrab / follow up. You can also dthrow on the very edge of a stage, and instantly follow up with a jab / tilt, since your opponent will instantly go into the falling animation.
Grab Release Shenanigans [3]
*Grab releases are very important to understand in this game. If you hold somebody in a grab, and don't throw them in a direction, they'll eventually jump out of your hands and go into the air. This is called an air release. Some characters have very exploitable air releases. If you constantly pummel somebody, and they break out during a pummel animation, then they'll release on the ground, which is also helpful in some situations. *all releases are air releases unless stated otherwise*
- Bowser - Dash attack, boost grab
- Captain Falcon - Dash attack
- Falco - Dash attack, boost grab
- Ganon - Dash attack, DACUS, boost grab
- Lucas - *GROUND RELEASE* Jab (sometimes), Ftilt, Dtilt, Utilt
- Metaknight - Dash attack, boost grab (trades hits)
- Ness - *GROUND RELEASE* Jab, Ftilt, Dtilt, Utilt (Dtilt needs to be buffered), Regrab if Ness doesn't land too far away
- Sheik - Buffered DACUS, boost grab
- Squirtle - Dash attack, boost grab
- Wario - Nair, Uair, Bair, Utilt
- Wolf - Buffered DACUS
Grenade Cooking [5]
*Most of the time, it's wise not to throw grenades instantly. You have 3 seconds before detonation. Spend some of that time doing something else, and then throw the grenade at your opponent. Instead if just pegging them for 3%-4%, the grenade will blow up in their face for 12%. An easy concept with about 1,000,000 ways to perform it. Try it out for yourself and see what you like.
Grenade Counter [3]
*When predicting an attack, pull a grenade and shield with the intent to powershield the oncoming attack. 9 time out of 10, you'll shield the attack, and your opponent's attack will cause the grenade to blow up in their face. Since they can't physically shield it, they'll essentially be countered by said grenade.
Grenade Grab [2]
*Pull grenade, dash forward / backward with it in your hand, and grab. Useful for delicate spacing, or trying to bait an approach because your opponent sees you with a grenade in your hand.
Jab -> Ftilt [3]
*You can link the first hit of jab into forward tilt on about 2/3 of the cast. It's as easy as it sounds. Press A to use jab1, then ftilt. Try it out yourself to find the timing, it's hard to explain through the use of text.
Ledge Tech [5]
*Press the shield button to tech off of a wall, if you're in the middle of hitstun. This is EXTREMELY useful when C4 recovering, I highly recommend you learn to do it perfectly. Since Snake's cypher is slow, and you'll find yourself recovering from below at times, it may also be worth it to learn its use in that situation.
Shield Drop [4]
*Pull a grenade. Press shield. The grenade drops out of your hands, onto the ground, and you go back to regular movement.
Sliding Spotdodge [2]
*While holding a grenade (same scenario as the grenade grab), dash forward or backward and do a spotdodge. You'll get a semi-decent slide in whatever direction you do it in, and the grenade will drop, leading to some pretty nice followups. It's highly recommended you dash backwards while doing it, and stay away from going forward with it. Going back leaves you with a pretty nice defensive setup, since the grenade will be sitting directly in front of you.
Zero Lag Grenade Land [1]
*If you pull a grenade in the air and hold down shield in the air, you'll immediately put up your shield when you hit the ground. There's no startup lag, and that isn't a generalization. ZERO FRAMES OF LAG ON STARTUP. You can use this to safely land on top of your own mines (which detonate in 2 frames). You'll powershield it every time, if you're doing it correctly.
4 - Additional Literature
*Really cool links you should probably take a look at if you want to be decent with Snake.
Advanced Grenade Tactics by SuSa
COMPLETE Frame Data Directory by Dookur173
Diving into Dthrow - Everything you need to know about tech chasing by SuSa
How to Cook Pineapples: Stupid Grenade Tricks by gammonwalker
~Snake's Attacks and KO percents~ by __crystal____
Solid Snake's Hitbox AND Frame Data by Eternal Yoshi
Surviving a Cypher Grab Break by SuSa
