Advanced Bowser Strategy Guide
Version 1.1 (will be updated)
4/5/08
This is a guide to the SSBB character, Bowser. I will do my best to keep this guide up-to-date.
Bowser (A.K.A Koopa King)
Bowser is back for his second appearance in the SSB series since his debut in SSBM. I created this guide on the basis that Bowser is one of the most improved characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
This is an Advanced Bowser Strategy Guide. I will cover move damage, move tactics, and final smash, but not move detail. This guide is intended for players who are already familiar with the basic mechanics of the game and wish to expand further on their battle strategies. Now lets Begin!
(1) Glossary of Terms:
Frames- The animation of an attack, dash, roll, etc.
Edge Guarding- Staying at the edge of a stage and preventing the opponent from coming
back to it. This can be done through different means.
Infinite Jump- See part (3)
Super Armor- invisible frames when a character is unable to flinch when doing an attack (See the “Super Armor List” thread in the Brawl Tactical Discussion section for more information about this).
Shield Grab- Using the shield to block, then grabbing afterwards. Important for countering rush-ins and dash attacks.
Short Hop- Tapping the jump buttons quickly to perform a small jump inches above the ground.
DI- Stands for Directional Influence. When being tossed or knocked away by an attack, there are frames in which the player can influence where the character will be by using the Control Stick or C-Stick. This is done for purposes of spacing or mind games. An example of this would be Smash DI, which is done by keeping the control stick tapped in the direction you want the character to be influenced.
(2) Bowser's move list:
Standard A- 5% for each hit (10% damage total)
Strong Attacks:
Forward Tilt- 11%
Up Tilt-12%
Down Tilt- 14% first hit; 11% second hit (25% damage total)
Aerial Attacks:
Neutral Air- 13% average damage; 9% w/frames
Forward Air- 13%
Back Air- 15%
Up Air- 17%
Down Air- Damage varies; 2% w/last frames
Smash Attacks:
Forward Smash- 33% at close range; 21% medium range; 46% charged (close range); 29% charged (medium range).
Down Smash- 21% (9% w/last frames); 29% charged (12% charged w/last frames).
Up Smash- 20% when above; 15% when in front at close range; 28% charged when above; 21% charged when in front at close range.
Special (B) Attacks:
Fire Breath- 8% when tapped ones. Damage varies depending how long button is pressed and length of time opponent stays within flames.
Koopa Claw- 18%
Whirling Fortress- 35% damage (Tested on another Bowser)
Bowser Bomb- 24% on ground w/first hit; 20% without hit (includes air version)
(3) Advanced Move Tactics:
Bowser's Fire Breath and Koopa Claw special attacks:
Bowser's Fire Breath is improved considerably from Melee because it's more difficult to escape the flames. A useful tactic is to rush in at times with short-hop Fire Breath to space opponents (spacing in really important in Smash Bros generally speaking). This can add pressure to the opponent and gives you some breathing room to think about what they're going to do next (usually, they'll jump over Bowser or escape the flames by going behind him; the later requires extremely good DI).
Bowser's forward B attack (the Koopa Claw) should be his main focus as it's key to most of his aerial games. As many of us at Smash Boards community know, this is essential for his infinite jump (for those of you guys that don't remember how to do this, do the Koopa Claw just inches above the ground when in the air, and this will open up a new jump for Bowser. Do the Koopa Claw move near the ground again and keep mid-air jumping. This is essentially his infinite jump.
Aerial attacks and Edge Guarding:
Bowser has a variety of useful aerial attacks at his disposal. Up air has good priority since it comes out pretty fast, it's powerful, pressures opponents, and it's great for vertical KOs. His neutral air attack is useful for dash-ins and can be used for aerial confrontations. Back air comes out fast and helps for edge guarding (To do this, hang on the edge, let go of it, midair jump, and perform the back air attack). Forward air has excellent priority at the edge, comes out fast, and can also be used as part of his mid-stage game when rushing in.
Down air can act as a surprise tactic when landing and can give you some breathing room since the last frames of this move can prevent a counter-attack. When near the edge, down smash works as an anti-rolling recovery tactic. Forward smash can work, as it now comes out faster than it did in Melee. Forward tilt (the jab) is also helpful near the edge since its quick and tends to cancel out some of the opponents anti-edge guarding attacks. Down tilt is insane for close-quarter edge guarding and is probably the most used tilt attack for this purpose.
Mid and close-range game:
Bowser has many attacks and techniques that he can utilize for his mid and close-range game. The standard attack is essential for close-quarter confrontations and the knock back helps for spacing. Forward tilt comes out fast as previously mentioned and can be utilized for anti-dash-in purposes. The same can be said for this down tilt; except that it has a bit more range than the former. Up tilt acts as a pretty good anti-air move and the knock back of this attack can lead to juggling possibilities.
Down smash is good when the opponent is rolling behind you. Forward smash can be used for purposes of mind games at mid-range since Bowser leans back to perform the attack. This can put the opponent in a false sense of security since this move appears to have a slow release; but in reality, this move comes out faster than most people think. His up smash serves the same purpose as his up tilt, except that it comes out faster and deals more damage.
Whirling Fortress and Bowser Bomb:
The Whirling Fortress lost priority in Brawl for two reasons: First, the attack doesn't cover the same distant it did in Melee. The increased distance-coverage of this attack led to edge guarding possibilities at mid-range. Second, the move lost the power it had in Melee, since it was possible to vertical KO characters at high percentages. Nevertheless, the move still can be used for edge guarding, albeit not as well as in Melee.
The Bowser Bomb is heavily improved from Melee. The attack comes out much faster now and can be used as a surprise tactic in the air. A new addition to this special attack is the trapping effect that is evident when performed on the ground at close-range. With the addition of Super Armor to this move, it can become very deadly at close-quarters, especially if the opponent doesn't see it coming.
Advanced tactics and countering:
Bowser's improvements, such as increased speed in attacks and reduced lag in moves, pave the way for many strategies. When playing a mid-stage game and grabbing an opponent, (either through shield grabbing or dash grabbing) vertical tossing can lead to juggling possibilities. Shield grabbing is a vital aspect to Bowser's game as well because he isn't pushed back by many attacks when he's shielding. This is attributed to his massive weight /size. Sometimes, the opponent might play a prediction game against Bowser.
There are three ways to go around this:
• The first one is to wait for the opponent to finish performing an attack, then dashing in and grabbing them.
• The second one is to wait for an opening, dash behind them, and grab. This is important when the opponent is trying to anticipate you rolling behind them or when you are pressured in a corner.
• The third and possibly safest strategy is to jump over their attacks. Your opponent will be used to you short-hopping, so this can be used as a surprise maneuver.
Copyright 2008. Bowser and Super Smash Bros. Brawl are registered marks of Nintendo/GameFreak/Hall Laboratory. No part of this guide may be reproduced without the consent of the author.
Please email me at
ymorel87@gmail.com if you have any questions conserning this guide.
.
