Play Marth in Super Smash Bros Melee

Super Smash Brothers Melee is a fun game, if you know how to play. Here are some tips that will help you learn to play well as Marth.

Steps

Swordplay and Placement

  1. Use the tip of the sword. Marth's attacks are the most powerful at the tip of his sword. Because of this, you can keep attacking your enemies from a distance, while they cannot even touch you. It is best to be fairly far away from your enemy at all times.
  2. Time your attacks carefully and precisely. Timing is everything with Marth's attacks. Do this and your opponents will be flying off the stage in no time.
  3. Use Aerial A-attacks wisely. Marth's Aerial A-attacks are said to be the greatest in the game. However, make sure that that you don't give your enemy the opportunity to attack.
  4. Use his forward smash. This attack has a large negative stigma for being overused, and for a good reason. It is powerful, relatively quick, and has the greatest range of Marth's moves. Practice so that you'll be able to get a tipper; it's much more powerful. Also, do not over use the move because it can be punished or may greatly annoy the opponent.
  5. Plan your Down-B counters. They can be useful, but it is entirely situational. Yes, it renders you physically invulnerable, but when used more than maybe once or twice the opponent catches on and will fake an attack, make you counter, and you will be left open for punishment. There are a few (a very small few) times when pros will use it, yes, but only as a "mind game" or trick to fool someone unaccustomed to seeing counters, or after a ledge hop (letting go of the ledge by either tilting the control stick down or away from the ledge, and using your second jump to come back onto the stage). It can also be used as an Edgeguard to counter characters using their third jump (usually up-B).
  6. Reverse your Dolphin Blade. Reverse Dolphin Blade (Up-B) is done by pressing up-b and then quickly back. If Marth is next to the opponent, it will be much stronger, capable of killing them at higher percentages.
  7. Wavedash. Marth's wavedash is among the best in the game, ranked 4th under Mewtwo, Ice Climbers and Luigi. It is done by flicking your thumb along a jump button (usually X) to do a short hop, then quickly directional air dodging towards the stage at an angle. If done correctly, you'll see Marth "slide" across the stage quickly. Try to input fast enough so Marth appears to have never left the ground. If mastered, this will greatly increase Marth's mobility and allow you to execute complex combos.
  8. Attack twice in one jump. Marth is one of the few characters that have the ability to do two aerial attacks with one short hop. This can be done with his forward-air, which comes out fast and has little recovery time.

Edge Guarding

  1. Guard a ledge with Down-Tilt. Down-Tilt is a perfect move when guarding the edge from your opponents grasp. Use right before the opponent tries to grab the edge.
  2. Negate their ledge recovery with forward smash. Forward smash has an enormous range. Because of this, It can be used to overpower an enemy's recovery.
  3. Knock them down with a Down air spike. Do this by hitting with the tip. Do not use this move off the stage because it has tons of after-move lag, and you could fall to your death. However, it is possible to jump from the ledge onto the stage and down air at the same time, spiking and opponent who tries to grab it after you.
  4. Edge-hog when your opponent is falling. To do this, just grab the ledge as the opponent tries to do so. Usually, the best way to do this is with a well placed wavedash. Since only one character can grab the ledge, they will fall to their deaths if you are holding it unless they can make it back onto the stage or knock you off it. When you first grab the ledge or roll onto the stage, you are temporarily invincible so use that time to absorb the recovery attack of your opponent.

Recovery

  1. Use side-B recover in the air. When being knocked away, side-B will give Marth a bit of time to stay in the air. When you are close enough to the side of the stage, then press Up-B. If you are close enough to the side of the stage and your enemy is trying to "Hedgehog," the attack will sometimes hit him. You can even side-B more than once if you time it correctly, allowing you to cover vast distances to make difficult recoveries.
  2. Counter to escape a barrage. Down-B is used as a counter, and is one of Marth's most helpful attacks. Use it when you are being barraged by attacks and cannot escape. You will take no damage from that attack, and then use a sword strike to knock away enemies.
    • Avoid countering repeatedly, as most players will catch on quickly and fake you out, leaving you open.
  3. Sweetspot to recover onto a ledge. This is done by delaying the timing of Dolphin Blade (Up-B) so that you grab the ledge as late as possible, making yourself less vulnerable as you recover. This can be countered by edge-hogging though, so be careful.

Strategies

  1. Pummel them in the air. Aerial attacks and smashes are extremely useful for amassing damage on your opponent. When they have a fair enough amount of damage, you can force them off an edge and use either a charged B or a smash to keep them there.
    • Well, that's a bit vague, nearly all worthwhile characters have a big air game due to complete cancellation of lag made by shuffling (see the related article here or preferably on smash boards) and most characters rely on smashes for KOs. a charged b is predictable, use c-stick smashes. yes, you're going to say they're cheap, but not to anyone who tries to use "advanced techniques". search the advanced how to play video on YouTube or go to smash boards to find out everything I've said here and more.
  2. Attack in ways people don't expect! One example is to jump forward and use your b to charge up a little and deal a good bit of damage. But remember, the only way this is a good strategy is if it is unexpected. So use sparingly (not a lot).
  3. Snare them with a rare Nair. An easy yet effective strategy is to use Marth's nair (neutral air). It's large hitbox, double slashing, and quick execution is an excellent approach used by both Marth newcomers and pros
  4. Keeping momentum is key! Momentum is your efficiency in combat. Performing combos is the most common way to improve momentum, but there is a better way. If you can't seem to get "in the groove" of a fight, and the enemy has more momentum, try to disrupt him instead of trying to immediately get him with combos and such. Get him off of his game, and then you can worry about getting back on yours. You aren't going to beat him if his momentum is greater, so stop him, then you will be able to build your own.


Tips

  • Use Up-B very rarely as an attack, unless it is needed to finish off a combo as a reversal. Its recovery time is extremely long for a character like Marth who benefits from speed.
  • Use his forward aerial to punish the opponent multiple times while they are falling through the air
  • Marth has a lot of priority in front of him and slightly above him. This is where your opponent should be at all times.
  • Don't think that you only need to hit with the tip of your sword. It's good to alternate between the two based on the situation. When you want to keep your foe close to followup with quick attacks, use the centre of your blade. To finish a combo, or to elevate your opponent as a setup, use the tip.
  • Watch and learn! YouTube is full of videos of real pros like Ken who play Marth. Although some of their tactics will be out-of-reach for beginners, it can really help you step up from "Beat a level 9" to solid game play.
  • Marth's sword has a wide range, so it can be used to swat most projectiles with the forward-A.
  • Side-B is very useful for executing a four (or more) hit combo. You can strike with a first attack, and then, with perfect timing, attack with four more attacks, depending on which direction you tilt the joystick and press B. The third hit will usually have a lot of knockback, so continuing the combo will be pointless, but if the opponent uses his shield to block the first three hits, the fourth hit has a high success rate because their shield is being decreased as they hold down the shoulder buttons, and as you hit it with the combo. Really though, this move should only be limited to horizontal recovery, but using it once or twice to psyche the opponent out wouldn't hurt.
  • Keep your opponent in the air. Attacks like his up-tilt, tapered up-aerial, forward-aerial, and neutral-aerial all help accomplish this.
  • Marth is a much better character than his counterpart Roy. Marth is faster, does more damage, has more knockback, is heavier, combos better, and has a better recovery than Roy.
  • His side Smash Attack is probably the most useful on an edge. With correct timing, you will be able to use it again and again, not allowing your enemy to stay on the stage.
  • Make sure you have actually unlocked him before trying to use him. Unlock him by beating the game with all 14 characters you start out with and then beating him in a battle.
  • The second hit of side-B (Dancing Blade) is either neutral (forward) or upwards, the third and fourth neutral, upwards or downwards. The third hit downwards is a great meteor smash but is very situational as it takes a long time to execute.

Warnings

  • Be sure not to overuse his down-B (counter) because it simply WILL NOT WORK. Only use it when the enemy isn't expecting it.
  • Marth has a very fast dodge (L or R plus left or right on the control stick). However, even though it is much better than most characters, it is still too predictable (there is a small amount of ending lag, and it is obvious where and when it will occur as soon as you start the dodge) to be very useful against people who know how to play. Avoid it like the plague.
  • Marth is a good character, but remember, all of his attacks are melee based (hand to hand, or in his case, sword to hand) in order to stand a chance in a fight, you must be able to get to them and deal some damage, so a link or peach could be a challenge for you

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Sources and Citations

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