__ _ _______ _____ _____
| \ | | | _____| / ____| / ____|
| \ | | | |___ \ \ \ \
| \| | | ___| \ \ \ \
| |\ | | | \ \ \ \
| | \ | | |_____ __\ \ __\ \
|_| \__| |_______| |_____| |_____|
A Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & WiiU Guide
- By Blue_Thunder
- V. 1.0 (7/25/17)
------------------------------------------
---Contents---
I---------Introduction----------[INTRD]
II--------The Basics------------[BASCS]
III-------Attacks---------------[ATTCK]
IV--------Specials--------------[SPECS]
V---------Throws----------------[THRWS]
VI--------Combos----------------[COMBS]
VII-------Custom Moves----------[CUSTM]
VIII------General Techniques----[GNTCH]
IX--------Character Matchups----[MTCUP]
X---------Absorbing Stuff-------[PSIMG]
XI--------Conclusion/Credits----[CONCR]
Note: Highlight one of the bracketed shortcuts above and press Ctrl + C, Ctrl +
F, and Ctrl + V (or Command C, F and V) to find a certain section quickly.
---Version Info---
0.9--------My first edition! The Matchups section is unfinished.
1.0--------Added more info about PKT2 (added Earthbound360 to the "thank you"
list), made random fixes and additions, and added a little more to the Matchups
section.
---Preface/Contact Info---
My first FAQ! Yay! Ahem... This FAQ describes Ness, gives a run-down on his
moves and gives some tips based on what I've learned from others and how I play
him. This IS NOT the only way to play him! If you've got tips for me on how to
use him, or info for this FAQ, PM me! Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Misinformations? Suggestions? (Constructive criticism, mind you.) Tell me what
you think! :)
Let me introduce myself. I'm Jeremy (IGN: Jay). I got Smash Bros. 3DS as a
Christmas gift about a year ago (I started this FAQ in December 2015, so that's
about right), and it has been my favorite 3DS game ever since. I've spent much
of my time just playing online and offline for fun, but in the last four months
or so, I have been hardcore into training. I plan to participate in a
tournament eventually (I should probably get myself a cooler tournament name by
then). I currently main Ness, with Yoshi and Cloud as secondaries, along with a
bunch of characters (DK, Lucas, etc.) I play with for fun. As with many other
smashers, I've changed my control configuration to suit my style, so I'll be
referring to buttons by name (ex. SPECIAL button, instead of B button).
Why am I making a Ness FAQ? Do you know that feeling when you find out
something really awesome and can't wait to tell everyone about it? Well, I feel
that way about playing Ness in Smash 4! This FAQ is basically a compilation of
my personal experiences I've had with Ness over the last few months, along with
info I've learned from various guides. My goal was to make this as informative
as possible, yet n00b-friendly and fun to read. If you like this FAQ, be sure
to recommend it! Happy reading!
I. Introduction: Why Ness? [INTRD]
--------------------------
Ness. Ornett's hero. Kid PSIchic. PK wizard. My main. He wasn't always my
main, however. When I was little and played Smash Bros. on my brother's N64, I
liked Ness's uniqueness, but had trouble using him; back then I mainly played
with that OP Kirby and F-Smashed my way to victory! When I played Brawl, Ness
seemed better, but he was still a little akward for me; I played with Lucas
(somewhat easier to use than Ness), Ike and Mario then. (I never played Melee,
so I don't know how he felt then.) When I finally got my hands on Smash 3DS, I
honed my Mario skills. Then I switched to Yoshi. Then Toon Link. Then Pikachu.
Then Lucario... Anyway, a few months ago I turned to Ness and said to myself,
"Why not?" Turns out, he's awesome now! With decent weight, great (albeit
gimpable) recovery, a nice assortment of kill-moves and more, I think I've
settled on finding my main (don't bet on it though). I've been working with him
for about two months as of now, and I feel I've put the most effort into
training him. I'd say I'm pretty good with him, though not NAKAT or FOW level
(yet), as my fundementals can stand improvement. I've never played any of the
games Ness was in, but now that he's my main, I'm more interested in finding
them. Whether you're looking to hone your own Ness skills, looking to counter
him, or just curious about him as a smash character, this guide is for you!
One thing to remember about playing with Ness is that you've got to PRACTICE
(as with any other character). Ness is one of the more technical characters,
and has a somewhat steep learning curve attached, so he's is not for the light
of heart; his jumping and recovery may take awhile to get used to. Especially
practice his recovery. It only takes one misguided PK Thunder to fall to your
death. One misfire and you can kiss your stock good-bye... Er, not to worry you
or anything. On the flip-side, a well-aimed PK Thunder can save you in all
sorts of situations! Lastly, don't forget to ask for help! There are plenty of
places online where you can improve your game by practicing with people who
give good feedback.
II. The Basics: You remember how to jump, right? [BASCS]
------------------------------------------------
"Okay!" *head nod* Let's get down to business. First, I want to define a few
Smash Bros. terms you'll see in this FAQ:
Aerial: An attack used in the air.
Edge-Grab: Grabbing the ledge; useful for recovering safely.
Off-Stage: Not on or over the solid ground of the stage.
Endlag: The amount of frames that you're immobile after doing an attack.
Landing Lag: The amount of frames that you're immobile after landing in the
middle of an aerial attack.
Recovery: Returning to the stage after being knocked off the ledge; most
characters typically have a second jump and U-SPECIAL to help them recover.
Hitbox: When you execute an attack, it's the part of the attack that damages
foes. A disjointed hitbox is a hitbox separate from the character's body that,
when hit by an opponent, doesn't damage the character doing the attack.
Short-Hop: A short jump accomplished by quickly tapping the jump button or up
direction. It's used to attack grounded enemies with aerial attacks.
Gimp: To hit someone already off-stage to ruin their recovery attempt and make
them fall into the abyss.
Punish: To hit a foe whose attack missed, or got shielded by you.
Spike: To smash a foe straight down with one of your moves. A reliable KOing
method for enemies over the abyss.
Tech: To press the SHIELD button right as you land or bounce off of a wall to
get to your feet quickly.
Read: To read an opponent means to observe their playstyle and adapt your own
playstyle to take advantage of their habits.
Bait: To trick your opponent into thinking they can hit you; you can then
punish them for it.
Spacing: Attempting to control where your opponent is and where you are to
maximize your safety.
Fast-Fall: While descending from a jump, tap down on the C-Stick to fall
faster. This can give you less landing lag than usual, when using an aerial.
Out-of-shield: An action or attack that can be done quickly while using your
shield, such as Ness's jumping, N-Air, and U-Smash.
Directional Influence (DI): When getting thrown or launched, hold the C-Stick
in a direction to influence the direction of your flight path. DI-ing can get
you out of combos or even keep you from getting KO'd.
Sweetspot: Hitting a foe with the full damage hitbox of an attack with multiple
hitboxes; for example, B-Air's sweetspot is the middle of the PSI ball and does
15%.
Sourspot: Hitting a foe with a weaker hitbox of an attack with multiple
hitboxes; for example, B-Air's sourspot is the area around the PSI ball and
does 8%.
Hitstun: A mommentary paralysis right after being hit with an attack. The
amount out of it depends on the attack used.
Overall, Ness is an awesome defensive character, with a few offensive
capabilities as well. His ground game is good--not great, but good--and he has
got awsome aerials, a low-ranged, but fast grab, and two great projectiles (and
one "meh" projectile), one of which doubles as a recovery tool. Ness's weight
is #32 on Smashpedia's list of characters by weight (94 units), which is a
little below average. His duck isn't particularly impressive (though it's lower
than Lucas's), and he can't crawl. Ness's jumps are high and floaty; His
falling/aerial speed and loopy second jump can take awhile to get used to, but
if you PRACTICE, you'll get in control. Ness's running speed is #41 on the list
of characters by running speed (1.46265). He's not a particularly fast runner,
but he's got lots of other stuff to make up for it.
To unlock Ness, you must either play in 10 VS Matches, or clear Classic Mode
on any difficulty. Easy, right? Though, in Smash Wii U, Ness is available from
the start of the game, so Smash 3DS makes you work for him.
The tricks to using Ness well are quickly stringing together combos,
pressuring and defending, and utilizing grabs, PK Thunder and PK Fire
effectively. One more thing: just because Ness's recovery takes more effort
than all other characters, doesn't mean that you should stay grounded at all
times. Ness is awesome in the air, and his aerials are great off-stage KO-ing
tools (which will be explained more in the "Techniques" section). What's life
without a little risk?
III. Attacks: Show your moves! [ATTCK]
------------------------------
Ness appears onscreen using PSI Teleport and shakes ashes off of his body at
the start of a battle. He stands ready to fight, gently swaying his arms; he
occasionally peeks behind himself curiously, or puts his fingers on his
forehead while closing his eyes to concentrate his PSI (no, he's not picking
his nose).
Ness's taunts are as follows:
U-Taunt: Ness looks at the screen, bows his head and says "Okay." When Captain
Falcon says, "Show your moves", say "Okay", and pulverise him!
S-Taunt: Ness swings his bat up and points it heroically. The perfect taunt for
when you KO a home-run!
D-Taunt: Ness shouts a battle cry and shoots out a pulse of PSI from his
finger. Something about this taunt says, "Come at me! I dare you!"
Here's a list of Ness's attacks with some info about each:
Jab [2%+2%+4%=8%]: A typical punch-punch-kick combo. Its generally used for
breaking attacks, grabs and combos, and gaining stage control. If your foe
spot-dodges, they'll still get hit by the last two hits. Jab can also be used
to "lock" opponents. If your opponent doesn't tech their landing, you can jab
them once, walk up then jab again to keep them on the ground (sometimes you can
get a third jab in); as they get up slowly, you can F-Smash them. I once used a
Jab to stop a Little Mac's KO Punch!
F-Tilt [9%-10%]: A sweeping kick forward. It can be used to quickly hit
opponents chasing you as you dash, then turn around (called a pivot-tilt). You
can angle it high, mid, or low, depending on the tilt of your C-stick (angling
it gives it 1% more damage).
Dash Attack [4%+2%+4%=10%, 7%]: A useful three-fold PSI thrust forward. It's
hitbox extends away from Ness, so it's a relatively safe approaching attack.
The first pulse does 7% damage to aerial foes, while popping them up. Work on
spacing the dash so that you can hit an opponent with the last pulse safely
without getting shield-grabbed. The final shot pops foes up at low percents so
you can excecute aerial combos. It's also useful for catching roll-backs. It's
my go-to move for sudden death; I check for any attacks from my opponent, then
plow through them.
F-Smash [18%-30%]: A hard swing of Ness's baseball bat. A powerful kill-move,
but it's laggy before and after (Lucas's is faster but less powerful). It does
more damage and knockback toward the end of the bat, dealing 30% if it connects
at the very tip. It's easiest to hit if your opponent is stunned by PK Fire;
however, sometimes you can get the hit if you anticipate your opponent's moves
correctly. The bat not only kills, but also reflects projectiles. You can try
to use it against physical spammers, but it may be hard to get the timing
right. His bat speeds up and roughly doubles the damage of reflected
projectiles. Keep in mind, F-Smash has a limit; If you reflect the same
projectile too many times, Ness will undergo FIVE WHOLE SECONDS of endlag after
reflecting said projectile.
D-Tilt [2%-4%]: A quick leg-jab. Though it's a small hitbox, it has almost no
lag, so it's spammable. There's a sourspot at the very tip of his foot. It can
be used to trip opponents, disrupt rush-downs, or to sometimes hit opponents
trying to edge-grab. Once a foe is tripped, go for a grab; if they get hit by
another D-Tilt while tripped, they'll get back up. The trips are pretty random,
however.
D-Smash [1%+1%+10%-14%=12%-16% (on each side)]: Walkin' the dog! Ness rolls his
yo-yo behind himself then forward along the ground. Useful for KO-ing
horizontally at high percents, punishing rolls, hitting off-stage opponents
trying to edge-grab (standing backwards), and disabling Little Mac. The back
part has slightly more launching power. You can roll up to a foe (standing
backwards to the foe), then, when they try to grab you, hit them with your
yo-yo; this is called a "bait". Ness is vulnerable on the side of the attack
where the yo-yo isn't, so be aware.
U-Tilt [5%-7%]: A ball of PSI energy is shot above Ness's head. It does
sourspot damage if Ness's hands are hit, instead of the PSI ball. It's a decent
anti-air; it can also be used to start aerial combos with PKT and U-Airs; it
combos into itself at low percents. I don't use it that much though, as D-Throw
does a better job of comboing (and I have tap-jump on so it's kinda hard to do
it instantaneously). It's capable of killing at reasonable percents if it
hasn't been staled.
U-Smash [9%-18%]: Around-the-World! Ness swings his yo-yo forward, then over
his head, then down to his back. Doesn't launch as far as his other smashes,
but it's a good out-of-shield and dashing option, and the initial hitbox covers
a good amount of area around and behind Ness (the initial hitbox extends behind
Ness at the start of the move). Useful as a get-off-me move, the yo-yo does
more damage when the foe is hit with the tip of the yo-yo when it's over Ness's
head. (Bet you didn't know that! I was surprised this wasn't on the Wiki,
actually.) A fully-charged U-Smash does 18% above Ness' head as apposed to 12%
at his sides. The tipper not only does increased damage, but also does more
knockback too! It starts killing at reasonable percents (<150%), but isn't
really useful as a kill-move due to its extremely situational nature (I've only
managed to do this against a human one time, after I PKT pop-uped a recovering
victim once). All of Ness's Smashes leave him vulnerable to an extent, so don't
rely on them too heavily.
Get-Up-Attack [5%-7%]: When you're lying on the ground, press the attack button
to make Ness kick his legs back and forth upon getting up. Use it to knock back
aggressive foes nearby. Sometimes you can hit a foe with both front and back
kicks. After grabbing a ledge, hit the attack button to make Ness kick his legs
forward while getting up. Many opponents expect this kind of ledge-up and it
can be punished, so don't do it often. If the move is done after tripping, it
only does 5%. I personally like using forward-tap to climb ledges; Ness has a
somewhat lengthy, invincible climbing animation that can be tricky to punish
(as long as it's not used by habit).
All of Ness's aerials are quite useful as combo moves and make good kill-moves
too. Short-hop aerials are helpful for approaching as well.
N-Air [7%-11%]: One of his best moves, it's a quick, diagonal swing of Ness's
arms. Use it to combo with, to quickly get out of your foe's combos or to KO
off-stage. Does more damage at the start of the move. It's also a good
out-of-shield move; it has small end/landing lag, and can be done twice in a
short-hop. Use it while double-jumping to use the momentum to reach farther. It
can biff some small projectiles, making them disappear. If executed at the
right time, it can disable a Ganondorf's Warlock Punch or a rival Ness's or
Lucas's PK Thunder 2!
F-Air [1%+1%+1%+4%=7%]: A multi-hitting PSI ball thrusted forward. It doesn't
launch quite as far as his other aerials, it has noticable landing lag, and
it's not safe on shields; however, this move has a disjointed hitbox, reaches a
fair distance, and is a combo machine, because you can drag foes with it. After
an early D-Throw, you can usually get two or three F-Airs in your combo. You
can also SH this to make F-Air strings that way too. Use this for when you're
retreating, getting back on-stage or gimping recovery.
B-Air [8%-15%]: A backward kick of Ness's legs that creates a PSI ball. If you
can sweetspot it (hit your enemy with the center of the ball), you'll give them
15% and send them flying. It, along with N-Air, are useful in short-hops (more
in the "Techniques" section). It can help you continue aerial combos at times.
It's also great for attacking off-stage because of the range (a little longer
than F-Air) and knockback, and can easily spike foes against the underside of
ledge stages.
U-Air [13%]: An upward head-butt that starts behind Ness. My personal favorite
move of Ness's. It's a quick and reliable on-stage and off-stage kill-move, and
can be used to surprise foes trying to attack you off-stage. The higher your
foe is in the air, the easier it is to KO them. Use it to help get you out of
your opponent's combos. SH U-Air is safe on shields and, when fast-falled,
combos into many other attacks due to it's low endlag. This big head's range is
larger than it looks and is capable of smacking Villagers off of their Lloid
Rockets and beating out many characters' D-Airs when spaced properly.
D-Air [10%-12%]: A laggy downard PSI kick with a meteor effect if hit just
right. You can try to spike foes off-stage with it, but because of the lag
beforehand, it's kinda hard to hit perfectly without a good amount of practice.
You can use the momentum from your double-jump to adjust your target area.
Don't approach grounded foes directly below you with it, because they will
likely see it coming, and it has a good amount of landing lag. If you land
before the downward kick comes out, however, you have no landing lag; you can
follow up with a grab or jab after landing (another bait). This doesn't mean
that you shouldn't use it, however. After practice using the move, an off-stage
PK Fire trap can set up for a rewarding spike.
IV. Specials: PK Power! [SPECS]
-----------------------
N-Special - PK Flash [9%-37%]: Ness's most powerful, yet most unuseful move.
It's powerful PK blast that rises, then falls as you hold down the button.
Release the button to initiate the blast. It's power increases as the button is
held down, so if you're lucky, you can KO someone at low percentages. It's
mainly good for blowing up someone after breaking their shield (which doesn't
happen often, as Ness). It's top height is a little higher if you move the bulb
behind Ness. If you don't release the button, PK Flash will disappear into the
ground, or explode by itself eventually if in the air. You can try to
edge-gaurd with it by blasting recovery attempts, but it's slow and hard to
aim, so chances are you won't get a good shot, unless your opponent has
horrible recovery and has no choice but to jump into it (*cough*Cloud*cough*).
It can be used to bait an approach out of low-level players; tap SPECIAL and
your opponent will likely think it's an easy punish, and run after you. After
you use it in the air, you'll fall as if you've used PK Thunder (called
"special fall"), so don't use it when you're off-stage!
S-Special - PK Fire [(4%+2%=6%)+(2%x8=16%)=22%]: The other reason (besides
B-Throw) that Ness gets a lot of hate from. It's a laggy thunderbolt projectile
that bursts into a pillar of flames that damages foes repeatedly when it hits
them. It's slow, but useful for spacing, stopping rush-downs, punishing rolls,
and setting up for combos; it can be pivoted, also. The flames' damage output
is mainly determined by your opponent's damage and how fast your opponent can
get free. If you manage to hit the center of your opponent (like getting the
bolt right under them as they land, hitting the top of the opponent from the
air, or catching the end of a spot-dodge), they will stay stuck in the flame
pillar for long periods. PK Fire can set-up into grabs, Smashes, more PK Fire,
etc. Many FG players tend to roll away from it after getting hit, so chase them
with a Dash attack. The bolt glides close to the ground, so you can hit foes
hanging on the ledge with it. When it's used in air, it shoots diagonally down.
If you land before to PKF comes out, nothing will appear, making you
vulnerable. If the bolt connects in midair, the flame pillar will burn there
and will gradually descend. An aerial fire pillar that connects off-stage can
make it harder for the opponent to return because the flames drag them down;
fast-falling characters are easily disabled by this, leading to easy KOs.
Because PK Fire's range is somewhat short, doesn't explode on shields and has
lag before and after, spamming isn't a good option (unless you're on For Glory,
hehehe). PK Fire cancels Ness's second jump (you can pivot it in the air too),
so you can use it as a safer approaching option than just jumping and shooting
it downward. Cover your landing with an aerial to lessen the landing lag. FUN
FACT: The flowers on the ground of the Dream Land 64 stage seem to cover PK
Fire bolts up nicely; this can keep opponents guessing about the path of the
bolt when you shoot on the ground.
D-Special - PSI Magnet [-(original dmg + approx. 50% of original dmg)]: Hold
down the button to create an energy shield (after a short delay) that absorbs
ENERGY-BASED projectiles and heals Ness in the process. Quite useful,
obviously. There's a small delay between absorbing and healing, so if you get
hit out of the Magnet before you heal, the effects may take longer to get to
you; this also means that you can roll out of the shield right when a
projectile touches you, instead of waiting for the heal. As to when to use this
to absorb, this is a matter of reading and predicting your opponent. It's easy
if your opponent is a projectile spammer; absorbing them (or reflecting them
with the bat) will force the opponent to change their tactics. A good way of
absorbing projectiles is dashing into the potential projectile, then tapping
D-SPECIAL. When you're opponent is charging something like an Aura Sphere,
Charge Shot and the like, dashing towards them might scare them into firing
prematurely; turn on PSI Magnet to catch said projectile. Dash-shielding is a
little faster, though. It's usually not safe to absorb projectiles close to the
enemy, because they can get follow ups. It doesn't work on Link's arrows, Bonus
Fruit, or any other physical projectiles. You can, however, absorb some
explosions! (I guess heat energy counts as "energy-based.") The explosions of
Link's bombs, Bob-ombs, Motion-Sensor Bombs, Gooey Bombs, etc. (but not Smart
and X-Bombs) can be absorbed if you're close by. Sadly, this trick doesn't work
in Sudden Death battles. There are other things that you wouldn't normally
think of absorbing, like Sheik's Vanish and Lloid Rocket explosions. PSI Magnet
absorbs a maximum of 30% per projectile. The amount of damage healed when you
absorb a multi-hitting projectle depends on the damage of the first hitbox that
touches the field. Ryu's Hadoken is a great example of this. The normal blue
Hadoken hits once, and when healed, recovers about 11%; the orange version,
however, is multi-hitting and only heals around 2% (relative to the first
hitbox that touches PSI Magnet). When you release the button, you can push
nearby foes back a little; not very impressive, though I've managed to push an
opponent's attack out of my range a couple of times. If used in air, Ness
floats in place a little; you can use it to throw off an opponent trying to
read your landings or recovery path. If you double-jump, then D-Special, you'll
go up slightly; if you do this near a ledge then PK Thunder, Ness will grab the
ledge immediately.
U-Special - PK Thunder [8% ball dmg, 1% tail dmg, 21%-25% PKT2 dmg]: Shoots out
an electric ball with a tail out of Ness's body. Ness's best special, by far
(and one of the best specials in the game, IMO). You can drive it almost
anywhere. There's just so much you can do with it! Let me explain:
1. You can straight-up shoot someone with the beam. Use it to stop rush-downs.
You can circle the projectile in front of your foes to distract them and use
the tail to stun foes and circle it as a shield. Hit them on their right side
to make them go upward to the right, and their left side to make them go upward
to the left. If the opponent spot or air-dodges it, loop it around and hit them
from the back. Use your steering skills to follow the paths of falling
fighters. You can also do this while falling from above to gaurd your landing;
just be aware that you can't attack again until after you land. Even though
enemies that touch Ness's body get zapped, don't do this too often; it leaves
Ness open for attack from foes who dodge the bolt. Also, you can't do this when
you're off-stage; if you lose the ball while you're in air, you'll enter
special fall and descend helplessly into the abyss. If your opponent reflects
the beam, sometimes you can try to absorb it before it disappears, as Ness
loses control of the beam and wakes up if the bolt is reflected. PK Thunder
pops up foes pretty high at higher percentages. You can juggle opponents by
repeatedly shooting out beams; get foes high enough, and the hit will send them
into the blast zone!
2. Harass off-stage opponents. When you knock foes off-stage, get near the edge
of the stage (not on the very edge, or else you'll get punished), and fire PK
Thunders at them, looping the beams around them if they are dodged. Drive the
beams into your opponent's path of recovery to harass or possibly gimp them.
Because of the pop-up effect of PK Thunder, if your opponent is below you,
hitting them with the beam can pop them up right next to you so you can swing
at them with the bat! Also, if you hit a foe at the right time, you can make
them bounce off of the underside of the stage, stage-spiking them to their
death. Be aware that at other times, your bolt can pop-up an enemy right into a
ledge-grab (helping them recover). You can circle the tail of the beam over
foes near the abyss to gimp their recovery attempts; however, be sure to stop
when they get close! It takes awhile to get moving again after using PK
Thunder, so don't overdo it. Be sure to run PK Thunder into a wall or floor or
something in order to wake up before you get attacked. If your opponent manages
to get close while you're immoble, you can sometimes bring the beam back to you
and boost yourself out of danger (or into the foe!). Hitting Ness from above
just flops him onto the ground; use this to... to uh... bait your opponent into
your get-up attack, I guess... Just be careful not to hit yourself with the
beam unintentionally!
3. Recover. PK Thunder doubles as a flexible projectle and useful recovery
option. Shoot the beam and quickly circle it to your back; you'll make an
explosion and shoot forward. In technical terms, this is known as PK Thunder 2.
You can aim the beam at any part of Ness's body, and it will blast you away
from the point at which the beam touches Ness's body. Touching Ness's bottom
shoots you upward, touching from the left shoots you right, etc., etc. The
angle of the ball as it hits you doesn't matter; touching Ness's bottom while
the beam is going sideways still makes you go upward. As I've said before,
you've got to PRACTICE using PK Thunder as recovery, until you can recover
perfectly at any time. Learn to rotate the C-Stick counter-clockwise or
clockwise at just the right speed in order to quickly boost yourself diagonally
up. Angle the ball so that you can grab ledges easily. Hit Ness side-ways to
quickly grab ledges horizontally. Hit him from the bottom to scale walls
quickly and get yourself out of the abyss. Speaking of walls... sometimes
they're kinda tricky. If you PK Thunder 2 into the LEFT side wall going
diagonally up, your PKT2 may go up and out of the wall (making a ">" shape) and
you will fall to your death. If you hit the wall more horizontally, however,
your Thunder will dissapear and you'll bounce back off the wall, then start
falling. In the second instance, you can actually use PK Thunder a second time!
Press U-Special just after you bounce off the wall (before you start falling),
and you'll be able to create another PK Thunder to boost yourself up again!
Wall bouncing can be done using any direction on the right side wall, but on
the left, you must hit it horizontally. Also on the left side wall (not the
right side), Ness's PKT2 can ride up the wall in some instances if you come in
going upwards just below the edge. Don't start the beam right next to a wall,
or else the wall will absorb the beam (sadly, Ness can't wall-jump). Sometimes
a wall-bounce will help you live when aiming for the ledge won't work. Overall,
walled stages can be a good or bad thing for Ness's recovery, depending on how
good you are at using PKT2. Personally, I like using triangularly-shaped stages
like Final Destination and Gaur Plain (Omega form), because it's easy to
edge-snap with PKT2 and it's easy to wall-bounce when needed because of the
slope (though, you need to be careful of the wall absorbing your second PKT2
try). When using PKT2 up high, fading out your special fall, than inward can
trick opponents trying to attack you. PK Thunder's boost gets you pretty far,
but remember that it shoots you a set distance; try not to get too far from the
ledge or you'll end up short when blasting to the stage.
4. PK-Ramming! Yes, I made up that term just now. You can attack foes by
bringing the beam behind you and PKT2ing yourself into them. The closer you are
to your opponent when you explode, the greater the damage and launch power. It
is capable of killing at low percents. The trick to using this technique is
timing. If you just straight out do it (like level 9 Ness CPUs tend to do),
your opponent will most likely see it coming and will dodge the boost,
shield-grab you or hit you before you can hit yourself. Learn to ram opponents
from various angles from land and air; also learn to wait for opportunities to
PK-Ram (don't force them). Practice hitting yourself using different PKT paths.
You can do ovals, circles, figure-8s and and other crazy curves before you hit
yourself; If your opponent gets caught in the tail while you're curving the
beam around, they'll be in enough hitstun for you to crash into them
unchallenged. You can sometimes tack one onto the end of an aerial combo,
blasting your opponent into space! SH PKT can help you get a ramming
opportunity while avoiding Dash Attacks and projectiles below. Hit or throw
your opponent off-stage with F or B-Throw; use PK Thunder to harass them while
they try to return. If they come in high and try to land behind you, bring that
same beam back to you (before it dissipates) and hit yourself with it, ramming
them from behind while they're in landing lag (it's easier if they air-dodge
into the ground). One thing to keep in-mind when PK-Ramming is that hitting
opponents reduces the distance of your boost. This can be a problem when you're
trying to recover; more on that in the "Techniques" and "Matchups" sections.
Phew! All that writing for one move! As you can see, you can do a lot with PK
Thunder. Just remember its strengths and weaknesses and you'll be able to make
the most of this cool tool.
FINAL SMASH - PK Starstorm: Ness's Final Smash! Break a Smash Ball, press
Special, and unleash a massive storm of PK meteors from above, down through the
center of the stage. It does 8% damage for each hit. Control the blast by
pushing left and right on the C-stick. Keep shifting the comets in one
direction to sweep foes into the blast zone! Ness is invincible during the
storm, but taking hits shortens the storm itself.
V. Throws: Watch 'em fly! [THRWS]
-------------------------
Ness not only has awesome aerials and powerful PK Thunder, but has terrific
throw moves! Ness's grab range isn't particularly great, but it is fast. Ness
doesn't have much in the way of shield-breaking moves, so you'll want to rely
on grabs for shielding opponents. A lot of Ness's game relies on his grab, so
make good use of it!
F-Throw [11%]: Circles a grabbed foe around and tosses them up at a 45 degree
angle. Doesn't launch very far at high percents, but because of the far initial
distance of the throw, you can easily toss enemies off of the edge of the
stage, then edge-guard.
B-Throw [11%]: BEHOLD! Grab an opponent, roll them over your head and watch
them fly! Ness's main kill-move, it shoots foes at 135 degree angle. It kills
early if the foe is thrown off at the edge of the stage; if your foe hangs out
near the ledge, running past them then pivot grabbing them can make for a nice
kill. It doesn't launch very far at low percentages, but it's launch distance
increases dramatically as your foe's damage increases; tossing a 150%+ opponent
is basically a garunteed KO! Foes will be expecting you to make many grab
attempts once they're past 100%; if you dash-grab repeatedly, you will get
punished. Wait for your opportunity, and use your foe's fear of B-Throw to your
advantage. I prefer to wait 'til my opponent is past 120%ish (depending on the
character, and your rage), so that the throw kills from most areas. Also,
remember that Ness has plenty of KO options, other than B-Throw; don't rely
heavily on this throw if you can't grab someone.
U-Throw [10%]: Levitates an opponent and tosses them upward at a 90 degree
angle. Can be used to start aerial combos at lower percents. You can toss foes
upward, than shoot a PK Thunder at them. But it's not as good with combos as...
D-Throw [1%+1%+1%+4%=7%]: Slams a grabbed foe on the ground, pummels them with
PK energy, and pops them up for some serious aerial comboing! Not as damaging
by itself as his other throws, but it's aerial stringing potential far
outweighs that flaw. This is the throw to use at low percents and is the best
pop-up move Ness has. After slamming foes, you can follow up with most of
Ness's aerials, mainly F-Airs. If your opponent is skilled at DI-ing out of
your D-Throw combos, you may want to go for a F-Throw or U-Throw to PK Thunder
instead.
You can dash-grab, shield-grab or pivot-grab opponents, as well as the usual
neutral grab. Neutral grab works when you're right next to your opponent.
Dash-grab and pivot-grab have disjointed ranges for easier reach. Shield-grabs
are for times when you shield a foe's attack, leaving them open because of end
lag. While an opponent is grabbed, pummel them some to soften them up before
throwing. Ness's head-butting pummel (1% each) is pretty quick so you can
usually get one or two hits in at low pecents, and five or more at high
percents. Use D-Throws early to quickly build combo damage, then use F-Throw or
B-Throw to get opponents off the stage so you can shoot PK Thunders at them.
Finally, B-Throw them into the blast zone! Do use B-Throw when you can to get
foes off-stage; making B-Throw stale after using it once isn't that much of a
big deal IMO, considering the high damage:launch distance ratio of the throw
and the free damage you can easily get off-stage; just don't waste it.
VI. Combos: With fries and a drink! [COMBS]
-----------------------------------
One of Ness's best qualities is his ability to combo his attacks into 30%+
damage rackers. Most of his combos are generally fit for low damage enemies
(60% or less), so after that, focus on getting your foe off-stage so you can
get free damage and eventually the kill. You can do some fun things with PK
Thunder! In the air, you can shoot a PKT beam at the foe at the end of a combo,
or even PKT2 them into space as a nice finisher. Mix up your combos to maximize
damage. Here's a list of a few possible combos you can make:
D-Throw/Dash Attack>F-Air>(2nd jump)+F-Air>F-Air: A very common, standard combo
that racks up damage on low-damage foes. Both D-Throw and Dash Attack pop up
foes so you can F-air them repeatedly (the combo machine), though D-Throw tends
to be more reliable. F-Air's hitbox drags foes with it; adjust your height with
the second jump and hit the second F-air at the same time of your double jump,
so that you can drag your opponent into the range of the third F-Air. You may
need to fast-fall F-Air at times to keep the combo going, depending on your
opponent. Sometimes you can sweep an opponent into the blast zone with F-Airs!
If the opponent air-dodges the first F-air, try to get them with a N-air on the
way down. In place of F-airs, you can hit a N-air, U-air, PK Fire (if your foe
is diagonally below you), or PK Thunder. A SH F-Air can also be used to start
the F-Air chain, if you finish the F-Air before the end of your short-hop.
U-Tilt(s)>U-Air/PK Thunder: A simple juggling combo for low percents.
PK Fire>D-Throw>N, F, or U-Air: Use PK Fire to trap foes while you grab them.
As you pummel and slam them, they continue to take damage from the fire pillar,
increasing your damage output. Depending on the foe's DI (directional
influence) as you throw them, you can go for a SH (Short hop) F-Air, FH (full
hop) F-Air, N-Air or U-Air. If your opponent DIs backward from you after an
U-Air hit, try to double-jump B-Air them as they retreat; double-jump F-Air
them if they DI forward. double This combo is less easy to perform the more
damage your foe has; at high percents, you'll probably want to Throw>PK Thunder.
PK Fire>F-Smaaaaash: A great kill set-up. Because PK Fire can trap foes, it can
leave them open for grabs, rush-downs, a bat swing, another PK Fire, or even a
PKT2!
PK Fire>PK Fire>PK Fire>etc.: The For Glory spammer's combo. Risky and n00bish,
but it's dangerous for opponents who don't know how to counter it. If the
pillar ignites them just off of the edge of the stage, it makes it hard for
them to get back up without racking up damage (or falling to their death).
SH U-Air>[lots of stuff]: A fast-falled SH U-Air can combo into jabs, grabs,
F-Tilts, and more at low percents! One more reason to love this move!
PK Fire>D-Throw>F-Air>(land)>PK Fire>D-Throw>etc.: (The PK Fire is optional.)
The typical D-Throw to F-Air with a twist: opponents expecting you to do
another F-Air will likely airdodge downward. Land, then shoot a PK Fire at them
as they land. If it connects, you can follow up with another attack.
PK Fire>D-Throw>F-Air>(2nd jump)+PK Fire>D-Throw>etc.: A little more DI and
damage-dependent than the others. The F-Air drags your foe into a better
position for the PK Fire. If you connect the double-jump-cancelled PK Fire, the
flames will drag your foe back to the ground, where you can follow up with
another grab.
PK Thunder>F-Air>PK Thunder: Try using this string on returning foes. The
hitstun from PK Thunder can lead to a F-Air if you pop them up just right;
after the F-Air, shoot another beam at them to bring them back toward you. See
how long you can keep the chain going!
VII. Custom Moves: Gotta be personalized, right? [CUSTM]
------------------------------------------------
After you've practiced with Ness some, you'll probably want to expirement with
his Customs (just remember that you have to unlock them first). As for
equipment, I have multiple sets, but mainly use a Top-Notch Bat or Auto-Healer
Brawn Badge + Hero's Hat or Glider's Hat + Lightweight Shoes. The Glider's Hat
enhances Ness's aerial game quite well, and it also makes recovery easier.
Auto-Healer heals 2% every 3 seconds, to that's pretty handy for an endurance
game. As for Custom Moves, between PK Flash's power, Rising PK Flash's vertical
distance, and PK Freeze's horizontal distance, I feel they're equally okay. The
only Custom Moves I really use are Forward PSI Magnet and sometimes Lasting PK
Thunder; however, experiment with these moves yourself and choose what you like!
Rising PK Flash [8%-26%]: A weaker, pinkish PK Flash that just keeps rising and
has less side-ways motion than the original. Even though it has a slightly
larger hitbox than PK Flash, it's easy to see it coming, so aerial foes will
likely dodge it. Tap the button to release a weak burst that can hit nearby
ground-level foes (PK Flash's tap-blast is too high for most ground-level foes).
PK Freeze [14%-26%]: Similar to Lucas's, it's a pretty blue PK Flash that
freezes opponents when it explodes. The tap-blast is high up, and it moves
farther sideways (not as far as Lucas's moves, however). Somewhat more useful
than PK Flash for off-stage foes.
PK Bonfire [(2%+5%=7%)+5%+3%+5%+3%+5%=28%]: A slower (and more laggy),
short-distance bolt that explodes into a great column of flames. It has more
damage potential than PK Fire, but the flames have more knockback, so it's
easier for foes to escape. It can be a pain for foes off-stage due to its size.
PK Fire Burst [2%+9%=11%]: Similar to Lucas's PK Fire, this PK Fire shoots a
bolt that creates a quick fire burst that knocks back foes. It travels a little
farther than PK Fire. In air, it shoots straight ahead (not diagonally down).
Great for spacing, but no trapping ability.
Lasting PK Thunder [7% ball dmg, 1% tail dmg, 10%-25% boost dmg]: Similar to
Lucas's PK Thunder, it's a blue PK Thunder beam that goes through opponents
without disappearing. It's a good alternative to PK Thunder, but there are a
few tradeoffs. Compared to PK Thunder, the beam itself is slower, weaker, and
doesn't travel as far. It's PK Thunder 2 is a weaker, multi-hitting boost (1%
each) with a 10% hit at the end. Like Lucas's PK Thunder 2, the boost doesn't
launch foes as far, but you can use the bolt to get multi-hitting damage to
opponents by circling the beam around them. The boost is slightly longer than
PK Thunder, and the ball doesn't disappear if an opponent tries to hit the
ball, making it more useful for recovery than offense.
Rolling PK Thunder [12% ball dmg, 1% tail dmg, 30% boost dmg]: A big, green
bulb of awesome power. Super slow and low-distance. Yes, the boost explosion
animation is awesome and yes, it hits foes like a Bomb-omb, but it's just not
worth it! Even though hitting enemies with the boost doesn't shorten the
distance, the distance itself is TERRIBLE (like half the distance of PK
Thunder). Additionally, you have to be close enough to the stage that foes can
easily jump at you and beat you back farther. Just... don't use it. (Unless you
really want to, I mean...)
PSI Vacuum [5%-10%]: Sucks in nearby opponents and zaps them when you release
the button. Does more damage closer to Ness. Pretty useful if your opponent
doesn't have any energy attacks to absorb.
Forward PSI Magnet [-(original dmg + approx. 25% of original dmg), 9%]: Another
Lucas move. Forms a PSI Magnet in front of Ness. It doesn't push back foes, but
it does shock foes inside the shield when you release the button. It does
however, appear to heal Ness a bit less than PSI Magnet does. You can't absorb
projectles behind you, either. A pretty good compromise between the healing
powers of PSI Magnet and the damaging capabilities of PSI Vacuum.
VIII. General Techniques: PSIchological warfare! [GNTCH]
------------------------------------------------
--Approaches--
At the beginning of a battle, you have several ways of approaching, but Ness
is best suited for defense. During this time, you should analyze how your
opponent acts, looking for ways to take advantage of their habits. Dash Attack
is good for stopping rush-downs due to it's disjointed hitbox, but if they
shield it while you advance too close, you can be easily shield-grabbed or
punished. A common way of approaching for Ness is short-hopping aerials towards
the enemy. Because of Ness's air manuverability, you can advance with an
aerial, then retreat to your original position. SH (short-hop) F-Air has that
disjointed hitbox, so it reaches a good amount; however, its not very safe
on-shield. If you do hit shield, try to land behind the foe so you don't get
shield-grabbed. F-Air takes up most of the frames (time) of your SH, so you
need to start it when you jump to minimize landing lag. If you can finish the
F-Air before you land, double-jump and F-Air together to continue the chain. SH
N-Air is great because it's fast, safer on-shield, has low landing lag, and can
be done twice in one SH. SH U-Air is also low-lag and is good on-shield, and
can easily combo into grabs, jabs and more; it may be hard to do if you have
Tap-Jump ON, however. SH D-Air is okay; it's got that landing lag, though. Land
before the downward kick to avoid landing lag and follow up with jabs and such.
SH B-Air is quite useful, as it autocancels in a fast-fall short hop; meaning
that if you fast-fall while in the middle of a SH B-Air, you land without
landing lag. This technique allows you to approach backwards quickly, and is
great on-shield. Keep in mind that B-Air is better suited as a kill-move and
doesn't combo (usually). You can add PSI Magnets to your short hops to switch
things up; N-Air or U-Air as you land. Have you noticed that I didn't mention
any downward approaches? Ness doesn't have any good moves for that kind of
approach, as his D-Air is too laggy for the job. As for stage positioning, when
you're learning to use Ness, you might want to start out by hanging near the
center, minimizing the need for recovery. Once you get comfy with PKT2,
however, your place on the stage won't matter as much. If you're like me, and
live most of your life off-stage, I'd reccommend living life on the edge
(except when your damage is high). Hanging around on the edge of the stage
allows for easy edge-guarding and can help you get that B-Throw KO.
PK Fire can also be used when approaching, and if it connects, you can follow
up with a move of your choice (F-Smash, a grab, Dash Attack, SH Airs, etc.).
Just be aware that if your opponent expects it and dash-shields the bolt,
you'll be left open for punishing. Good players tend to expect PK Fire early,
so you'll want to wait and read your opponent before shooting. Players who get
blasted tend to roll back after being hit; dash at them when they roll so you
can Dash Attack them. You can shoot a PK Fire bolt down from the air while
approaching; instead of FHing it, use that double-jump cancel trick to make you
a little safer in the air, make the bolt travel a little farther, and allow you
to land closer to the enemy. Lastly, you can shoot a PK Thunder at the foe. You
can circle the beam in front of you to shield yourself, or aim it at your foe.
If the opponent dodges it, you'll likely be punished, however. Once you're
close, try to get an opportunity to grab your opponent so you can start racking
up damage. A PK Fire trap is the most reliable way to grab, but you can
shield-grab, pivot-grab, and dash-grab once you get a good read on your
opponent. Use D-Throw aerial combos at low percents to build damage, F-Throws
(and sometimes B-Throws) at mid percents to get foes off-stage so you can go
after them and get free damage, and at high percents, B-Throw for the kill.
Ness's roll is okay, and can be punished, so being roll-happy isn't a good
idea. Be sure to throw in some spot and air dodges; many times, you can get a
dash-grab or an aerial punish after dodging an attack. For rolly opponents,
punish them with a D-Smash, or follow their roll to get them with a F-Dash or
grab.
Once your opponent is past 110%, start setting up for one of Ness's many kill
options. I'd recommend U or N-Air or the awesome (or "imfamous" as many call
it) B-Throw! In some situations, PKT2 will get the job done efficiently;
players that don't give PKT2 respect will usually find themselves down a stock.
If you manage to PK Fire trap someone, be sure to go for that F-Smaaaaash! If
you find yourself getting beat up, take a second to get your bearings. Remember
to keep your opponent pressured by varying your approaches, punishing bad
habits, dodging and shielding incoming attacks, and N-Airing out of and DIing
away from your opponents combos.
--Edge Guarding--
Ness is excellent for edge guarding, due to his projectiles and aerials. When
you smack or throw someone off the stage, you'll basically have two options for
edge guarding: on-stage and off-stage. What's the difference? Well, for one
option, you are on-stage concocting an evil plan to sabotage your enemy's
recovery; this is the safer option of the two. The other option is to just dash
off the stage like a mad ma--er--boy, and take your foe down in hand-to-hand
combat; you risk losing a stock here, but you have a greater chance of getting
the KO (besides, this is option is more fun!).
When your opponent is returning, instead of thinking about what you're gonna
have for dinner, use this time to get some extra damage on your opponent. As
mentioned before, PK Flash is an okay option, but is easily avoided by most
characters. D-Smash is a pretty good option to try to keep your foe from
edge-grabbing easily. Have your back towards the foe so the first yo-yo slide
bashes them. D-Tilt can reach off of the ledge and hit foes who miss
sweet-spotting the edge-grab. PK Fire is also useful, because if it connects,
it drags your enemy down. Once they're trapped, if they are about parallel with
you, you can shoot another PK Fire at them to prolong their agony; otherwise,
dash off the stage to slap them with an aerial or two while they're frying. The
easiest way of getting free damage on returning foes is using PK Thunder. Just
run close to the edge of the stage and shoot a PK Thunder at them; an</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
easy-peasy 8%! Chip-in damage from PKT beams can add up quickly if you make
your opponent spend a lot of time off-stage. When your opponent is recovering
low, circle and loop the beam over them to try to gimp them with the tail. A
hit with ball stuns and pops up foes, so, depending on the positioning, you can
follow up with a on-stage or off-stage attack, or spike them against the
underside of the stage for any easy KO. The pop-up effect also helps enemies
recover (usually), so this is best when used on characters that have good
recovery anyway; for characters with bad recovery, you'll want to use your
aerials to take advantage of their flaws. If they return high and land behind
you, take the opportunity to PK-Ram them while they're landing!
When you've built up a certain level of confidence with recovering and
fighting off-stage, this is the time to really go after your off-stage foes.
Dash off the stage and hit your foes with an aerial or a PK Fire. A chain of
F-Airs can sweep your opponents back at mid percents, and kill at high
percents; just be careful not to go so far that you can't recover. N-Air works
really well, as it's fast and it KOs quickly at high percents. D-Air is okay;
it may be easy for foes to see it coming though, and it's lengthy animation may
make it harder for you to recover. Use U-Air for foes coming in high; it also
KOs efficiently. B-Air can be used to KO, or to spike foes against the
underside of stages. If your opponent is a ledge hogger, dash off the stage and
quickly push back toward the ledge to steal it from your opponent; you can then
double jump off the ledge, or let go of the ledge (push back on the C-Stick)
then double jump to follow up with an aerial. PK Fire also works on
edge-hangers and it drags them down when it connects; follow it up with a
D-Smash, an aerial or another PK Fire. Be sure to vary your edge gaurding
strategy to keep your opponents guessing. A well-hit aerial can net you quick
KOs (the more gimpable the opponent, the better), but be aware that these
attacks will backfire on you if you're not careful. A lately-hit aerial may
leave you too far to return with PKT2; your foe may counter your attack,
leaving you to fall. Be sure to balance your attacks with air dodges and other
defensive maneveurs. The main purposes of edge guarding for Ness are getting
free damage and being relentless, not giving your foe a break.
--Recovering--
Let's start by talking about jumping, shall we? Have you noticed how floaty
and loopy Ness's jumps are? Be sure to fast-fall when needed (after Ness
reaches the top of his jump). When using Ness's second jump, remember that he
can't grab ledges until when he reaches the top of the jump. Learn to judge the
height of his second jump so you can use it to come up just below the edge of
stages and edge-grab without fear of getting knocked back off by on-stage
opponents (use this to ride up walls). Tap the C-Stick up and back to double
jump in a "C" shaped manner; the curved path can sometimes help you grab ledges
when you're under the stage. Using double jump to return is still risky,
however, because your opponent can run off-stage and footstool (when you jump
off of an opponent, making them fall), attack or spike you; you can also get
bowling balls and fire hydrants dropped on you. While double-jumping, use
air-dodges and aerials to defend yourself against off-stage attackers.
Double-jump over the ledge and air-dodge at the same time to minimize landing
lag when you land onstage. When your opponent is like, "Mwahaha! I've got you
now!", hit them with one of them head-butts to turn the tables on them. N-Airs
and F-Airs are good too; if you're low enough, they can stage-spike your foes
to their deaths. F-Airs and U-Airs can be used to clear out foes standing on
the edge of the ledge; F-Air's hitbox goes through the stage, and U-Air pushes
away shields. PK Thunder 2 is relatively safer than double jumping, but has
it's own quirks.
Use PK Thunder 2 to aim for the ledge from different angles. Ness's edge-grab
reaches from relatively far distances, so use that to your advantage. In a
pinch, use that wall-bounce trick to get extra height with your PKT2. Remember
that PK Thunder is invincible during the first few frames when the beam is
coming out of Ness (explained in the "Matchups" section), and that PKT2 is
invincible during the first half of the boost. Throw in some PSI Magnets to
trick opponents that try to read your flight path. When you recover high, you
can shoot a PK Thunder to gaurd the ground while you descend; Ness can't
edge-grab while in his trance, so hit the beam into something, or you'll miss
grabbing the ledge. If your opponent waits on the ledge to D-Smash you, you'll
have to aim for the ledge; firing PKT2 closer to the ledge means a faster
edge-grab. Keep in mind that opponents CAN still hit you, even with the correct
aim; there is a vulnerable frame right before you grab the ledge--other than
that, you should be fine. To clear the way once you grab the ledge, you can
drop off the ledge (push back on the C-Stick), than double-jump while attacking
with a F-Air, PK Fire or PK Thunder. The trick to recovering with Ness is to be
unpredictable. Above all, PRACTICE!
IX. Character Matchups: And the challenger is... [MTCUP]
------------------------------------------------
Ness is great against slow and large characters, as many of his attacks are
faster then theirs are, and bigger characters tend to be easier to execute
combos on, due to their size. Characters with absorbable projectiles need to
tone it down on the spamming, or they will find themselves at 130% while Ness
is at 10%. Characters with poor recovery and/or poor aerials are subject to PK
torture in the air and off-stage.
Ness is not only great in 1-on-1 battles, but also great in team games, mainly
because of PSI Magnet. If Team Attack is on, your teammate can shoot energy
projectiles at you to heal you! (However, you recover half as much damage from
a teammate than you would from an opponent.) Good partners for Ness are those
who easily make up for his weaknesses; those who can approach quickly while
Ness gives support, and those who can heal Ness with their projectiles.
Recommendations include Mario, Megaman, and Zero Suit Samus. In team battles,
use Ness's yo-yo (D and U-Smash) to defend yourself. Use Dash Attack to plow
through your opponents and use N-Air as a get-off-me move. Use your grabs, but
be wary of opponents trying to disrupt your throws and combos. Dash-grab and
F-Throw as a quick separating move. While your teammate has an opponent
grabbed, take the opportunity to get a F-Smash in. Divide the opposite team and
conquer!
Although Ness is awesome, he's not perfect. Charcacters that can weaken Ness's
prowess are those that can reflect or absorb his projectiles. Many characters
like Mario, Rosalina, Game and Watch, Villager, and Falco have moves that
absorb or reflect PK Thunder and PK Fire. When fighting these characters, tone
down the projectle spamming, waiting for opportunities when the opponent won't
see it coming. Rosalina, in particular, can be a pain in the [hindquarters]
because of Luma and Gravitational Pull; be sure to get that star-pet away from
her, as she's way easier to deal with without Luma due to her low weight. Ness
may also have trouble with particularly fast characters like Sheik and Captain
Falcon, who can cover ground more quickly than Ness can, or characters with
particularly good range. In these situations, be sure to play more defensively,
and wait for your attack opportunities. Characters who spam projectiles that
Ness can't absorb (like Link and Sheik) can also be a problem as Ness can't run
or jump quickly to approach.
One of Ness's greatest strengths is also one of his greatest weaknesses. PK
Thunder. Every time you recover, it leaves you open for an off-stage attack.
Many opponents try to knock back Ness before he can PK Thunder 2 to the stage,
hitting him far enough so that he can't make it back. A common way of gimping
Ness is jumping into (called "bodying") or absorbing his PK Thunder beam as
he's trying to return to the stage (which is very annoying). Others just body
Ness's boost to shorten its distance (teching the impact) and let him fall to
his death; this sometimes works, but most of the time when that happens, I end
up blasting the opponent into space (or the 2DS screen), and grabbing the ledge
anyway. Bodying PKT2 is best left to good players; you wouldn't believe the
amount of kills I've gotten by people jumping into the missile without
thinking! Still, other characters who have counters (Marth, Ike, etc.) can try
to counter Ness's boost; again, sometimes it works, but many times Ness goes
straight through Counter, unharmed because of PKT2's initial invincibility.
Even projectiles can give you a run for your money! To try to avoid these
situations, vary your recovery option, distance and height. Opponents expecting
you to come in low will be caught off-guard by you PK Thunder 2ing
horizontally, higher up in the air. If you're not hit out too far, save your
second jump until you can catch the ledge with the jump without going over it
and getting knocked back out. To deal with foes who try to attack you
off-stage, you can PK Thunder right there; the beam will go through opponents
right above you without disappating if you release it when your foe is right
over you (before the end of the PK Thunder tail leaves Ness's body). You can
even loop PK Thunder around your front (instead of behind you like normally),
using your beam as a shield, then hit yourself from behind; this method is more
risky though, as it's harder to aim for the ledge. When someone tries to body
the PKT beam, you can sometimes maneuver the beam away (downward usually) from
the foe and guide it back to yourself to get the boost. As mentioned above,
Ness gets invincibility during the initial half of PK Thunder 2, so use that to
your advantage. PKTing mid-double-jump can help you sweet-spot the ledge and
trick foes jumping offstage to get you. Like I mentioned in the previous
section, aerials, PSI Magnet taps and air dodges are also very helpful for
recovery.
There are quirky ways of which some characters can mess up Ness's PK Thunder
attempts. Mario can shoot a Fireball at PK Thunder, swipe his cape at Ness or
even F. L. U. D. D. him out of position, making the beam miss and ruining
Ness's recovery. My advice here is to not PK Thunder 2 too close to the stage.
Fall below the stage and aim diagonally up so you'll be away from any F. L. U.
D. D. You'll want to stay away from Fire Hydrants and Hydro Pump too. Just be
aware that if you are on the ground shooting PK Thunders from the edge of the
stage, the moves of certain foes can push you off while you're motionless,
leaving you to fall into the abyss.
The general trick for dealing with sword-wielding characters is to stay out of
sword-range--that area where your attacks won't reach them, but theirs can
reach you. Either get up close so you can use your jabs, grabs, etc., or
outside, where you can use your projectiles and sometimes Dash Attack.
One more thing... I believe one of the best ways of getting better at Smash in
general is learning matchups. By playing as other characters, reading guides
and most importantly, fighting against other (human) opponents, you'll build up
experience that you can draw from to help you in matches. For example, I have
beaten more Sheiks than Zeldas; because Sheik is so popular, I tended to find
more matches with her than Zelda, so I have more experience about what Sheik
players tend to do during a match.
And now... the list of character matchups! Note: Most of this info is based on
experiences I've had in WiFi and CPU battles, so it's rather general and
unfinished. If you have any info for me, be sure to PM me! In my opinion,
Ness's worst matchups are as follows:
1. Rosalina (Gravitational Pull & Luma)
2. Sheik (Speedy & Needle Storm)
3. Corrin (godly range)
4. Mario (PKT gimper)
Tips for Specific Character Matchups
------------------------------------
Here's some more character-specific info. I didn't do everyone, but more info
on matchups as well as videos can be found on various sites such as
ssbworld.com. I rated the difficulty (IMO) of each matchup with 1 being
easiest, 5 being hardest.
---Sheik (4.8)---
A Sheik pro can prove deadly for any Ness user because of her speed, combos
and Needle Storm. She doesn't have that many options for kill-moves, but some
of her moves can set-up into kills. Because she is faster, you'll want to play
defensively, waiting for her to approach; however, you may be forced to
approach if she spams her needles at you. You can't easily reflect or absorb
the blades, so you have to approach (something which Ness isn't the best at).
Needles are also a pain off-stage, and may get you gimped. Use N-Air to try to
break out of her combos. Play defensively when you can, dodging her attacks and
punishing any mistakes she makes. Absorb Vanish's explosion when you can. N-air
out of her combos. If you know how Sheik is usually played, you can plan
accordingly.
---Rosalina and Luma (5)---
It's two against one--that's not fair! For this matchup, you're gonna have to
MAKE it fair. Murder Luma. Or get Luma out of the way, at least. Luma acts like
a shield to Rosalina, taking the burn of PK Fire (though the pillar may still
get in Rosalina's way), and getting in the way of your approaches. Rosalina and
Luma can rack up a lot of damage together in combo attacks, so killing Luma is
your best bet to win. Sure, Luma comes back every 15 seconds or so, but that
more than enough time to get some hits on Rosalina. Together, they have high
damage potential, but Rosalina herself is pretty light and easily B-Thrown. She
has somewhat slow, but good-ranged aerials and good recovery, so she is capable
in the air; Luma can't help her up there, however. Gravitational Pull absorbs
projectiles, which is a problem. Watch out for Rosalinas who try to D-Air you
or Gravitational Pull your PKT beams when you're trying to recover. Sometimes,
the spiraling path of the absorbed PKT can zap you and wake you from your
special fall; take the opportunity to create another beam for a second chance
at life. Try not to get knocked off-stage. It's the worst matchup, but you can
win if you play smart.
---Megaman (3.5)---
Megaman's pellet shots (Jab, F-Tilt, and N-Air) can be a real pain to deal
with, as they disrupt most of Ness's approaches. They can be absorbed, but if
you miss absorbing the first, you'll get hit by all three. You'll need to be
careful when approaching, but you'll have to get close to take advantage of
Megaman's lack of get-off-me moves. Megaman's pretty capable in the air;
especially avoid his D-Air, which spikes. Try to absorb his F-Smash when you
can, and reflect/grab Metal Blade, absorb Crash Bomber and reflect Leaf Shield.
Grabbing Metal Blade keeps Megaman from making another, so you can hold on to
it for awhile and void one of his options. Crash Bomber heals only 1%, but
hey--healing is healing!
---Game and Watch (3)---
Game and Watch is light, but he has plenty of deadly tricks up his sleeves
(well, if he had sleeves anyway). First of all, Oil Panic absorbs energy-based
projectiles, so tone it down on the spamming, or you'll get oiled to death!
Game and Watch may try to absorb your PK Thunder recovery attempt, so try to
stay out of easy reach. Judge is one of those insanely overpowered, unfair
(here comes the salt) moves that I dispise, along with Wario Waft and Rest. It
comes out pretty fast, so if you get hit with #9, you're dead; just try to
avoid it. He can combo it out of a D-Throw too. Chef can be annoying when you
are recovering, but you'll be able to get an opening eventually. You can't
attack him out of his U-SPECIAL, Fire, but while he's floating down you can try
to get a hit in. G&W can attack out of the special though, so keep that in
mind. His U-Smash has a small range, but it's pretty strong, and superarmors
through your attacks. Depending on where D-Smash hits you, you'll either bounce
upward, or, the more dangerous situation, fly sideways. U-Tilt also makes you
go sideways, so watch out. It's kinda hard to get out of his jab.
---Mario (4.3), Dr. Mario (3)---
Marios typically start a battle by grabbing you so they can D-Throw-combo you;
don't make yourself an easy target. Use N-Air to get out of Mario's combos. His
smashes are fast, but can be dodged. Fireballs can be absorbed, but
Megavitamins cannot. Dr. Mario's recovery is more lacking than Mario's, so it's
easier to gimp him. Cape and Super Sheet both reflect projectiles. As mentioned
above, Mario's Cape and F. L. U. D. D. can shove Ness out of his own recovery,
so don't leave yourself in an easy position to get gimped. Don't let him spike
you with his F-Air either. Dr. Mario has more power, but is less likely to go
off-stage to attack you due to his poor recovery. U-Smash is a great anti-air
attack.
---Villager (3.3)---
Villager fights are always fun. I think Ness and Villager make good rivals, as
they have both got good projectile game, each with moves that counter the
other's (along with their similar body builds). Dodge Villagers who repeatedly
shoot their slingshots (F and B-Air). Their D-Smashes leave you immoble, so
you'll want to dodge that. Be careful not to jump into a bowling ball (F-Smash)
while recovering! Pocket steals projectiles, so watch out for Villagers who try
to jump off-stage and Pocket your recovery. If he or she does grab PK Fire or
PK Thunder, you can try to absorb it when he or she discards it; it'll heal
Ness a good deal because of the increased damage of the projectile. Villager
can't hold more than one projectile, so you're free to use a second PK Thunder
that he or she can't pocket. Lloid Rocket is relatively easy to swat with
Ness's bat; you can also fry it with PKFs. The explosion (but not the actual
Lloid) can be absorbed. Balloon Trip's recovery is long-distance, but it's
rather slow and defenseless, making it easy for Ness to attack it. You can
easily pop one of the balloons with a PK Thunder. If you manage to hit both
balloons (without hitting Villager), you can send him or her falling to his or
her death. Timber is slow, but packs a big punch when it sprouts and when it's
cut down, so stay away from any saplings you notice! When the tree is sprouted,
shoot a PK Fire at the tree to wither it. Also, watch out for Villager's axe
that he or she carries when the tree is up; when he or she cuts down the tree,
you can even reflect the tree back at Villager and get an awesome low-percent
kill! It's hallarious to watch, and is capable of killing at 0%! Avoid PK
Thunder 2-ing close to the stage, not only because of Pocket, but also because
of Villager's watering can, which can push Ness out of position.
---Little Mac (3.5)---
Little Mac can easily murder Ness if Ness isn't careful, due to his speed and
power; LM's recovery, however, leaves much to be desired. Try to air-dodge or
N-Air out of his Jab. Shield or spot-dodge his Smashes; trying to trade damage
with Mac's Smashes is usually more painful for yourself, so shielding is
reccommended. Punishing his Smashes is tricky, as he can quickly throw out
another move to trade with your counterattack. Straight Lunge is easily avoided
and punished. Grab Slip Counters (watch out for counters while you're doing
your F-Air combos or using PK Fire), spot-dodge Jolt Haymaker, and roll-dodge
KO Punch. To deal with Little Mac quickly, you need to get him into the air and
off-stage; F-Throw is good at this. D-Smashing him off the edge of the ledge is
usually an easy KO; you can also shower him with PK Thunder bolts, PK Fires or
aerials once he's airborne or off-stage.
---Jiggly Puff (2.5)---
Jiggly may be the lightest character in the game, but she can be annoying to
fight. She is tough in the air because of her multiple jumps and quick aerials;
use your awesome aerials and air-dodges to combat her. It's easy to get her
off-stage, however, so shoot some PK Thunders at her while she returns; she has
no U-SPECIAL recovery, so you can try to gimp her with a PK Fire. Rollout
hurts, but it's easy to avoid. Sing only works if you're standing around on the
ground; jump away from it and punish it with a PK Fire. Rest... Rest is the
most ridiculously overpowered move in the entire game. I mean, sure, the range
is horrible, but it's so... sooo... physically impossible! Why doesn't it heal
damage like it's supposed to??? Anyway, when she misses, give her a good,
fully-charged swat with your bat.
---Shulk (3.3)---
Shulk can be tough to fight due to his increased range and Monado Arts. His
Smashes are good-ranged and strong but punishable. D-Smash hits multiple times,
so spot-dodging won't help there. His aerials reach quite far. The Arts' colors
are as follows:
Gray (Normal): Normal, run-of-the-mill Shulk.
Green (Jump): Increased jumps, decreased defense and weight. Handy for his
recovery, but makes him easier to KO.
Blue (Speed): Increased speed, decreased jumps and damage output. Pretty
dangerous to deal with, as he can rack up damage quickly.
Yellow (Shield): Increased weight, defense and shield durability, decreased
jumps, speed and damage output. Used by him to stall and keep him from getting
KO'd when he's at high percents. He's somewhat more gimpable though.
Purple (Buster): Increased damage output, decreased defense and knockback
output. Makes it easier for him to accumulate damage while risking his own
damage.
Red (Smash): Increased knockback output, decreased defense, weight and damage
output. Basically the opposite of Buster. Used to get easy KOs on high-damage
foes.
Many Shulks start the game by activating the Speed or Buster Art to rack up
damage, and then KO with Smash Art. The trick is to play defensively during
Speed Art and wait it out so Shulk doesn't have the option anymore (there's a
10 second cool down after using an Art). You can use this technique against
Smash Art also; however, if he has a good amount of damage, take advantage of
his decreased weight. As for Buster, you can either wait it out, or take him
head on, as his defense is lowered. Use your projectiles, and avoid and punish
Visions. Well, try to avoid Visions; that thing has a ridiculous hitbox. Back
Slash reaches pretty far, but it's punishable. Air Slash can punish your
off-stage attacks so be careful.
---Bowser Jr. (3)---
Bowser's children are diceptively heavy and take less damage when their Clown
Car is hit. Their Smashes are a bit laggy but they do hurt. Avoid Clown Cannon
and Clown Kart Dash. The Mechakoopa can be grabbed, and another can only be
created when the first one disappears, so grabbing one negates one of his
Specials. Abandon Ship can have you seeing a Clown Car fall on you while you're
recovering, and Bowser Jr. can still hit you after abandoning ship, so avoid
that.
---Luigi (2.8)---
N-Air Luigi's combos. Try to avoid F-Dash and Luigi Cyclone on the ground.
Luigi has no Cape, so let loose with your projectiles. Absorb Fireballs and
don't get Super Jump Punched.
---Link (3)---
Like Shulk, Link's Smashes are good-ranged and powerful; his moves can be
punished however (especially F-Rush). Be mindful that F-Smash can hit twice.
Hero's Bow and Gale Boomerang spam can be a problem, though. Many Links start
the match by spamming arrows, but if you can reflect them back to him, he
usually gives up and approaches. You can try to jump over or roll past the
spam, but Link may be waiting for you to come so he can U or F-Smash you.
Dash-shielding is usually the safest approach. Try to N-Air his arrows when you
can. Grab his Bombs and use them against him (or absorb their explosions). His
recovery isn't quite as good as Toon Link's, so try to gimp his recovery.
---Toon Link (4)---
A tougher matchup than Link, as he's faster, and has got mean aerials. Dash +
U-Smash is fast and can be a pain when you try to approach. His F, N, and B-Air
can be used to combat your own aerials; his D-Air is predictable, however. He's
lighter than Link, but with better recovery. PK Fire his grounded Spin Attacks,
grab his Bombs, and reflect Hero's Bow and Boomerang. Even though his grab
leaves him wide open if he misses, his B-Throw launches quite far (though it's
not as powerful as your own B-Throw).
---Zelda (3)---
Zelda has useful moves at her disposal. Nayru's Love can mess up your
projectile game, as well as knock you back; it has a lingering hitbox. Avoid
her Smashes, destroy her Phantom Slash (without leaving yourself open), and
dodge and punish Din's Fire (or you can just absorb it). Farore's Wind not only
recovers, but also kills, so be careful when attacking off-stage, and try to
predict her landing and punish her.
---Ganondorf (1.5)---
Dodging is crucial here, as it only takes a few hits to get KO'd by him. His
moves are powerful, but slow, so use that to your advantage. Flame Choke can be
annoying; dodge and punish it. If you do get grabbed, try to tech (press Shield
right as you land) the ground to avoid follow-ups. Don't let him grab you off
the edge of the stage and suicide with you! Spot-dodge Wizard's Foot, and
punish Warlock Punch (from a safe area). PK Fire him, and PK/PSI torture him
off-stage. D-tilt is incredibly fast (relatively speaking), and can be done
imediately after an U-Smash.
---Captain Falcon (2)---
He's like a speedy Ganondorf. Many typically dash-grab Ness and toss him off
of the stage so they can try to gimp or spike him. Don't make it easy for you
to get grabbed; spot-dodging and yo-yoing work well. Vary your recovery to
avoid his D and F-Air and sweet-spot your edge-grab with PK Thunder 2 so that
Falcon doesn't spike you down with his U-Tilt. Stop his rush-downs with your
Dash Attack and PK Fire. Try to get him off-stage so you can shoot PK Thunders
and aerials at him. F-Smash is dangerous, so dodge/shield it. Falcon Punch is
easily punished, Raptor Boost hurts, but leaves him wide open if he misses, and
Falcon Kick can be spot-dodged. Take advantage of his poor horizontal recovery
by smacking him while he's offstage.
---Wario (2)---
The range of many of Wario's ground moves is low, and many leave him open for
punishment, so he's not particularly dangerous... well, exept one thing: Wario
Waft. When this dude starts glowing, RUN! This guy passes some ridiculously
powerful gas! Chomp can be annoying when fighting up close. Dodge Wario Bike
and fry it with a PK Fire. He can only have out one bike at a time, and his
recovery is close to useless without it. His aerials are pretty quick, so watch
out for that.
---Pikachu (2)---
Pikachu's pretty fast, and can rack up damage quickly if you take him lightly,
so watch out! N-Air out of his combos and F-Air him in the air. Spot-dodging
D-Smash doesn't work. Absorb Thunder Jolt; Thunder's beam can also be absorbed
if you're below it at the right time. Because of the way Thunder Jolt travels
down ledges, your PKT2 may get cut-off; be prepared to PKT2 again. Skull Bash
is easily dodged, but doubles as extra recovery for Pikachu. Quick Attack can
be shielded or N-Air'd, but it can be annoying if spammed. Lastly, don't fall
prey to his adorable crawl; it's usually a mind-game used to set up Dash
Attacks and grabs.
---Marth (2.8)---
Marth's sword range and tipper power can be tricky to deal with; use Dash
Attack to protect yourself, and get Marth off-stage. Shield Breaker breaks
shields, so don't shield it, or your shield will be broken. Try to DI and
air-dodge out of Dancing Blade. Watch out for and punish Counter, and avoid
being Dolphin Slashed while attacking off-stage. Use your PSI attacks to
increase your range against him. Marth has no reflector, so let loose with your
projectiles.
---Ness (3)---
Attack of the clones! When you find yourself fighting yourself, there are a
few things to keep in mind. Firstly, your opponent has the same healing ability
that you do, so spamming isn't an option; do try to absorb the opponent's
projectiles when you can. If you get caught in a PKF, DI down and away to get
out. Try to take advantage of the gimpiness of PK Thunder. When your twin is
off-stage, try to hit him with your PK Thunder tail when he's near the abyss or
even hit his PK Thunder beam with yours. You can also jump off-stage and try to
absorb the opponent's PK Thunder with your PSI Magnet, or F-Air him. N-Air can
be used to slap him after PK Thunder 2 is activated; Ness is invincible during
the first half of the boost, but not the second half! Also, watch out for his
dash-grab; we already know how awesome B-Throw is, and we don't need a
demonstration! Lastly, never EVER dash at Ness when he's standing at the ledge!
---Lucas (2.9)---
Ness and Lucas may have some similar moves, but they are played quite
differently. Dodge and punish U-Smash; it packs a punch, but it is easy to see
coming. Lucas's PK Fire is a great zoning tool, but it can be countered by bat,
PSI Magnet, and dash-shield. Again, tone it down on your spamming. His PK
Thunder 2 attempts are a little harder to absorb, but you can jump off-stage
and try to hit him before (or after) he creates the boost. His F-Smash is
super-duper fast compared to yours, so watch out. D-Smash is slow, but covers
ledges really well, so try to get over it, or get him to do it prematurely when
recovering. Pressure him offstage with your aerials. Ness vs. Lucas/Ness
battles are usually about who can gimp who first.
---Bowser (1)---
If you know how to dodge his attacks, only good Bowsers can stand against you;
he isn't that great in the air, and his big frame is great for comboing. As for
the good Bowsers, though... they seem to always catch you off guard with a
well-timed F-Smash. What ever you do, DO NOT SHIELD BOWSER BOMB. It's like
shielding Shield Breaker; just don't. Roll or jump-air-dodge. His aerials are
kinda clunky, but reach farther than yours in many instances; take advantage of
his landing lag.
---Robin (2)---
PSI Magnet is to Robin as Kirby is to a buffet. Literally anything he can
shoot at you, you can absorb (excluding tomes and swords, of course). Your main
concern is his Leven Sword strikes, which pack a punch.
---Kirby (2.8)---
That lovable pink squishy ding! While Kirby has the tools to gimp Ness, Ness
has tools that can bring the match in his favor. Kirby is great at returning,
but his floaty, blimpy airspeed leaves him vulnerable to PK Thunder beams. DI
up and toward Kirby to get out of his Dash Attack. Watch out for his Smashes;
especially his fast D-Smash. Be prepared for off-stage attacks while you're
recovering, making use of double-jump air-dodges and the like. D-Airs are
particularly deadly. If you catch a Final Cutter in time, absorb the shockwave
with your magnet.
---Fox (2.9)---
Fox, as a mainly rush-down character, will likely apply the pressure. SH N-Air
works well to stop dashes. Fox's recovery is easy to predict: it's either Fox
Illusion or Fire Fox. PK Thunder is good at disrupting both Specials.
---Mewtwo (3)---
Mewtwo is your typical "glass cannon," able to hit hard, but suffering from
lightness. F-Smash is painful and disjointed, but has a bit of startup. U-Smash
is a good anti-air, but Ness's short stature can get under it sometimes.
D-Smash is also dangerous, but only hits on one side. Watch out for his F-Tilt
and aerials. F-Tilt, B-Air and U-Air have good range, N-Air shields Mewtwo from
contact, F-Air is super fast, and D-Air can be used to spike you. Try to absorb
Shadow Balls when you can, and don't make yourself an easy target for Disable.
When Mewtwo launches Confusion on you, you can either DI inward to avoid
F-Smashes and potentially counter him, or DI away with a double-jump air-dodge
to escape.
---Cloud (3.5)---
Cloud's range and mobility can be hard to take care of. For Clouds who run
away from you to charge Limit Break, there isn't really much you can do as
Ness, because of his awesome approaching skills (/sarcasm). You'll want to get
Cloud off-stage as much as possible. Take advantage of the fact that Cloud
can't edge-snap while in the middle of a Climhazard by shooting a PKF over the
ledge as he does so. When he's offstage, smack him
---Bayonetta (3.5)---
Bayonetta may seem intimidating at first, but the matchup isn't all that bad,
IMO. Those combos though... N-Air may work for getting out of them in some
instances, but I recommend DIing and airdodging instead; of course, it's best
not to get in them in the first place. Bayo's who repeatedly S-SPECIAL into you
trying to start the combo can be punished with PKF and the like. Especially
watch out for the flip kick that is usually done afterwards. Counter Witch Time
by utilizing your throws and projectiles. Try to bait it out of her when you
can. For example, when you D-Throw>F-Air, many Bayo's counter the F-Air,
leaving you floating helplessly; instead of the F-Air, drop down while they
counter and attack them while they're landing. If you're lucky, you can get her
to counter you as you start a PKT2. Remember that super-armor we talked about?
Because of this, Bayo won't be able to punch you without being knocked away! Be
sure to sabotoge her recovery with a PKT.
---SUMMARY---
A WALK IN THE PARK:
Ganondorf
Charizard
Wario
Palutena
Wii Fit Trainer
GOOD:
Bowser
DK
Captain Falcon
Robin
Lucario
Jiggly Puff
Pikachu
Kirby
Marth
Fox
Ike
Luigi
Olimar
Pac Man
Roy
ABOUT EVEN:
Lucina
ZSS
Peach
Ness
Lucas
Dr. Mario
Game and Watch
Zelda
Yoshi
Bowser Jr.
Link
Pit/Dark Pit
King Dedede
Falco
Duck Hunt
Mewtwo
Ryu
BAD, NOT TOO BAD:
Sonic
ROB
Greninja
Metaknight
Samus
Diddy Kong
Villager
Shulk
Little Mac
Megaman
Bayonetta
Cloud
Toon Link
Mario
REALLY BAD:
Corrin
Sheik
Rosalina and Luma
Finally. I reveal Ness's worst enemy... LAG. Yes, not only is WiFi lag a
nuisance, but it is also a Ness-killer. Why? PK Thunder. It becomes almost
impossible the recover properly when the game is freezing each second. Just
leave the match. I'm serious. It's not worth the fustration.
X. Absorbing Stuff: Fun, is it not? [PSIMG]
-------------------------------------------
So you saw all that writing above about absorbing certain moves with PSI
Magnet? Well here's a summary of everything I currently know of that Ness can
absorb. (If there's something I've missed, let me know.)
---Mario---
N-SPECIAL (Fireball)
---Luigi---
N-SPECIAL (Fireball)
---Yoshi---
D-SPECIAL (Yoshi Bomb) stars
---Pikachu---
N-SPECIAL (Thunder Jolt)
D-SPECIAL (Thunder) beam tip - (before it hits Pikachu)
---Megaman---
Jab, F-Tilt, N-Air pellets
F-Smash
S-SPECIAL (Crash Bomber) explosion
---Link---
D-SPECIAL (Bomb) explosion
---Toon Link---
D-SPECIAL (Bomb) explosion
---Robin---
N-SPECIAL (Thunder) - (all forms can be absorbed)
S-SPECIAL (Arcfire)
D-SPECIAL (Elwind)
---Sheik---
S-SPECIAL (Burst Grenade) explosion - (Ness takes damage from the suction
before recovering damage from the blast)
U-SPECIAL (Vanish) explosion
---Samus---
D-SPECIAL (Bomb) explosion
N-SPECIAL (Charge Shot)
---Palutena---
N-SPECIAL (Autoreticle)
---Kirby---
U-SPECIAL (Final Cutter) ground wave
---King Dedede---
U-SPECIAL (Super Dedede Jump) stars
---Bowser---
N-SPECIAL (Fire Breath)
---Charizard---
N-SPECIAL (Flamethrower)
---Fox---
N-SPECIAL (Blaster)
---Falco---
N-SPECIAL (Blaster)
---Diddy Kong---
U-SPECIAL (Rocketbarrel Boost) explosion - (Once it's detached from Diddy)
---Zelda---
S-SPECIAL (Din's Fire) explosion
---Zero Suit Samus---
D-Smash
N-SPECIAL (Paralyzer)
---Pit/Dark Pit---
N-SPECIAL (Palutena Bow/Silver Bow)
---R.O.B.---
N-SPECIAL (Robo Beam)
---Lucario---
N-SPECIAL (Aura Sphere)
S-SPECIAL (Force Palm) - (not that grab-punch thingy, but the ranged pulse
thingy)
---Ness/Lucas---
N-SPECIAL (PK Flash/PK Freeze)
S-SPECIAL (PK Fire)
U-SPECIAL (PK Thunder)
---Villager---
S-SPECIAL (Lloid Rocket) explosion
---Wii Fit Trainer---
N-SPECIAL (Sun Salutation)
---Duck Hunt---
N-SPECIAL (Trick Shot) explosion
---Peach---
N-SPECIAL (Toad) Spores
---Mewtwo---
N-SPECIAL (Shadow Ball)
---Ryu---
N-SPECIAL (Hadoken)
---Cloud---
N-SPECIAL (Blade Beam; both normal and Limit Break versions)
---Corrin---
N-SPECIAL (Dragon Fang Shot)
---Items---
Bob-omb
Bombchu
Motion Sensor Bomb
Gooey Bomb
Curry Breath
Super Scope shots
Ray Gun shots
Fire Flower flames
Star Rod stars
---Pokemon/Assist Trophies/Other---
Staryu's Swift
Waddle Doo's beam
Monoeye shot
Arwing laser
Great Fox's laser
Master Hand's Bullets
[some may be left out...]
---TO BE TESTED---
Samus' S-SPECIAL (Missile) explosion - Theoretically, the explosion should be
able to be absorbed like Lloid Rocket's; I'd need a Samus and a Villager's
Timber to help me test this, though.
Robin's 3rd Jab explosion
Wario's D-SPECIAL (Wario Waft) - Why not? lol...
XI. Conclusion/Credits: The End?! [CONCR]
---------------------------------
In conclusion, I hope I've showed you how cool Ness is and have given you lots
of tips and ideas to try out. In summary:
PROS:
-----
Awsome Aerials
PK Thunder Utility
High Combo Potential
Great Throws
Good in 1-on-1 or Team Battles
Great Air Manuverability and Little Landing Lag
High-Risk, but High Reward
Many Options for Mind Games
CONS:
-----
Slow To Approach
Limited Ground Options
Gimpy PK Thunder
Small Grab Range
Relatively Steep Learning Curve (jumping, recovering, etc.)
Important things to remember:
Vary your approaches, recovery, edge guarding, and killing strategies
Use your combos (even make new ones if the opportunity arises!)
PRACTICE using Ness's double jump and PKT2
Get free damage whenever you can (especially when edge-guarding)
Use your short hops and defensive moves
Kill with B-Throw, PKT2, D or F-Smash, or any aerial
PRACTICE!
Ness is the best!
PRACTICE!
Have fun!
---------
Special thanks to:
The Ness guides (Jtails, NAKAT and many others on YouTube and Nachi, Smudges
and Earthbound360 from Smashboards) that helped me train my own Ness
Smashpedia, which helped me locate some of Ness's technical info
Masahiro Sakurai and Nintendo, for creating this awesome game!!!
I hope you have had just as much fun reading this FAQ as I have had writing
it! Thanks for reading! Later! ^_^
