How good is Raptor Boost?

[xiferp]

Really. What do you find yourself using it the most for?

 

[Iwan]

punishing people who roll dodge too much (lol at roll dodgers).

It's also a good spike when people don't expect you to use it during recovery. Lastly, I tend to use it out of a dash dance, or after i short hop>>air dodge over someone I'll raptor boost back towards them.

Honestly though, I don't really use this move that much, and neither do most other falcons. He has way more options for damage, and the down throw is a way better move for getting your enemy into the air.

 

[Edds]

use it when they jump towards you. its not a 100% ko tho. sometimes they recover from it

 

[Ayaz18]

Auto cancelled Dair to raptor boost to Falcon dive, works like a charm

 

[Iwan]

Auto cancelled Dair to raptor boost to Falcon dive, works like a charm

Chyeah...does indeed. I wish the dair were more practical to use....even with it's autocancle-ness, it's not as "convenient" as ganondorf's....

it has so many uses.
but so little amount of.....
convenient...ness...

 

[Noodlehead]

this should help you a bit
http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=174927

 

[Tenki]

it's more of a usage survey though.

I tend to use it as a spike/recovery, really :l

 

[BananaTrooper]

Turning around (>.<). Seriously lol, I use it to turn around when my dash gets dodged/shielded. Works nicely.

 

[seshun]

Only use it when catching in enemy that disnt tech when they hit the round or when your following up when your opponent is trying to escape from your combo. Never use it as an offensive start.

 

[Wildfire393]

I can tell you from my experience playing against falcions: When the Falcon player uses this attack a lot, they tend to lose more. Due to its ending lag, it's stupidly easy to shield-grab. Due to its low priority, it's often even easier to simply forward Smash into it (pending the character has a good forward smash). It can occasionally be useful at close range, especially against a roll-happy opponent (You start it, they backroll to dodge, you catch them out of the roll with the end of the move because they are dumb and didn't realize the range and just backroll on reflex). It can also be OK for hitting an opponent out of a roll or spotdodge regularly.

I've also been experimenting a little with shothopping the Raptor Boost. A shorthopped raptor boost is hard to punish, due to the leapfrog effect. However, it also does not set up as well as the ground version, and can be hard to follow up.

 

[Wogrim]

I can tell you from my experience playing against falcions: When the Falcon player uses this attack a lot, they tend to lose more. Due to its ending lag, it's stupidly easy to shield-grab. Due to its low priority, it's often even easier to simply forward Smash into it (pending the character has a good forward smash). It can occasionally be useful at close range, especially against a roll-happy opponent (You start it, they backroll to dodge, you catch them out of the roll with the end of the move because they are dumb and didn't realize the range and just backroll on reflex). It can also be OK for hitting an opponent out of a roll or spotdodge regularly.

I've also been experimenting a little with shothopping the Raptor Boost. A shorthopped raptor boost is hard to punish, due to the leapfrog effect. However, it also does not set up as well as the ground version, and can be hard to follow up.

In my experience, the shorthopped version seems to hit a lot, but when it does it bounces them up right in front of you for a FAir while you're in freefall until you land (and then get landing lag). I use it mostly if I'm falling and an enemy is going to shoot a projectile at where I'm going to land, because I boost over the projectile and hit them. It seems best to DI backwards when it hits to try to avoid immediate retaliation. Since it bounces you, it really doesn't set you up at all because you have to wait another second to get back to the ground and through landing lag. If your opponent is over 100 or so percent though, it will bounce them high enough that you can land safely before they can get back at you, but it is still usually a bad choice. Even worse is using the aerial version on an opponent in air if they are over a full jump above the stage, because it knocks them straight down, where they can get up and then do whatever they want to you while you free fall.
My ground use for the boost is mostly in situations where I would like to Falcon Kick but am facing the wrong way, which is generally if someone rolls from in front to behind me, or if there are platforms above with which I can give some UAir/Knee abuse.

 

[JonBeBonanza]

use it when they jump towards you. its not a 100% ko tho. sometimes they recover from it

So it's not 100%?!?!?


Aside what the first post said about punishing roll-dodgers, and to start up combos. Yes i said it.

 

[Doggalina]

Protip: Never recover with this against Mario. That's just asking to get caped.

 

[AmigoOne]

I use it to get back from edgeguarding since landing lag is less when its done in the air when you do it close to the ground.

 

[Lionman]

You can perform an instant edgegrab with him, it helps at edge guarding because you can get fast another 2 seg of invulveravility

 

[KeyKid19]

Don't use it. Falcon Kick is better in every aspect except one.

 

[A2ZOMG]

KeyKid summed it up for me haha.

The Raptor Boost as far as I'm concerned is one of the worst special attacks in Brawl. It's easy to see coming, easy to intercept, and doesn't give you much when you connect with it.

If you want to put someone above you, autocancel a D-air, or U-throw. Both, especially the former, do the job better.

You can ledgestall and recover with it, but otherwise it sucks.

 

[Tenki]

Just wondering, if you use it aerially, how do you usually space/place it relative to your opponent?

It's got a really weird activation box so you can be considerably higher than your opponent and still perform the move. This "deceptive hitbox" could be the difference between a successful and... not so successful spike.

 

[Speedsk8er]

I hate that move. But I do it so much.

 

[Revolutionary1804]

it's really not that good of a move.... it send people to far upwards and when u can connect with it you usually have better options. i only use it to come back on the stage and even then...
however the best use of this move is when u are directly parralel to the stage almost wher u can grab the ledge, you can use it to slide across the stage making for a more immediate recovery but everything about this move is very situational.

 

[Seventh Sword]

It can work as a good surprise tactic if you need to mix your moves up a little bit. Also, as previously mentioned, punishing a roll with Raptor Boost is golden. I also use it when I'm a little above the ledge so that I return to the stage and hopefully manage to spike the opponent hanging on the ledge - won't really work against an experienced player though.

Very situational move, but not something you can just use spur of the moment. Using it well is ****ed hard. Besides, there are usually better options available.

And on a somewhat related note...am I the only one that loves the sound that plays when you connect with the Raptor Boost? >.>;

 

[Revolutionary1804]

it plays even when u dnt connect which is a reason it should be seldom used. it gets addictive.... like the knee and the spike and the spam Utilt... god all of his moves are god tier lol

 

[Seventh Sword]

Strings resulting from Dthrow or any move that decently sets them up are godly. Too bad it's difficult to perform anything that resembles a proper combo against a knowledgeable opponent. Still, Falcon needs variety in his moves, so Raptor Boost isn't completely and totally useless.

Then again, I know next nothing on how to play Falcon, so just ignore my invalid opinion ;O

 

[A2ZOMG]

Strings resulting from Dthrow or any move that decently sets them up are godly. Too bad it's difficult to perform anything that resembles a proper combo against a knowledgeable opponent. Still, Falcon needs variety in his moves, so Raptor Boost isn't completely and totally useless.

Then again, I know next nothing on how to play Falcon, so just ignore my invalid opinion ;O

LOLOLOL so you're suggesting since Falcon has few viable attacks in the first place use the Raptor Boost to get around diminishing returns LOLOLOL? [/joking]

Well actually in that event, you should have Dash grabbed and used grab attacks, then U-throwed. Much better.

Well basically, the idea is that Falcon pretty much can do better than Raptor Boosting 99.9% of the time.

 

[Seventh Sword]

LOLOLOL so you're suggesting since Falcon has few viable attacks in the first place use the Raptor Boost to get around diminishing returns LOLOLOL? [/joking]

Well actually in that event, you should have Dash grabbed and used grab attacks, then U-throwed. Much better.

Well basically, the idea is that Falcon pretty much can do better than Raptor Boosting 99.9% of the time.

What about returning to the stage with the opponent below you? Would Raptor Boost be effective in that situation or would something like the Dair fit better?

And Falcon Punch > Diminishing returns xD

 

[HulkingRage]

i personally think it's a horrible attack move in brawl, it doesn't combo start like in melee, so i only use it for mindgames and spikes in recovery