Play as Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. Melee

Captain Falcon is a very quick and strong character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, considered by many top players to be a very good character. He excels in creating fast-paced combos and racking up damage with high-powered moves. If you want to learn how to play Captain Falcon, this guide is for you!

Steps

  1. Know all of Falcon's attacks and their ranges by heart.
    • Captain Falcon's special moves (moves using the B button) may seem to be useless, but they can be very useful in certain situations. His B attack is extremely slow and leaves you wide open, however it is one of his most powerful attacks. Use it when your enemy is wide open, such as after their shield has been broken. Captain Falcon's side B attack is effective for popping the enemy up into the air, however if shielded against or dodged, it can be punished. It is most effective for chasing the opponent when they are rolling or running away. Use Falcon's up B to get back on the stage. Do not use this as an attack, as it can be punished if you miss, and doesn't deal much knockback. Captain Falcon's down B isn't very good for attacking, as it can be dodged easily, but if you are offstage and high enough you can use this to regain a jump, helping you recover.
    • Captain Falcon's tilts (lightly pressing in a direction and A), jab (A up to 3 times), and dash attack (dashing and A) are all relatively weak, however his tilts are decently quick, and can be good for preventing someone from grabbing the ledge.
    • Captain Falcon's smash attacks (smash the control stick in a direction and A) are very strong with alright speed, however they have decent starting and ending lag, and his up smash has relatively low range.
    • Captain Falcon's aerial attacks (A attacks in the air) are where he really shines. His neutral aerial is good for starting combos, his up aerial has a great knockback angle and is powerful, his down aerial sends enemies rocketing downwards while having amazing range and power, his back aerial is strong and is good for preventing the opponent from landing back on stage, and his forward aerial is one of his best aerials, dealing extreme damage and knockback when sweet-spotted, and being one of Captain Falcon's best finishing moves.
  2. Use Captain Falcon's speed to your advantage. Captain Falcon has the fastest running speed out of all character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, so make sure to use it to help extend combos and rush opponents!
  3. Learn and practice advanced techniques with Captain Falcon. Learn how to do techniques such as wavedash, dash dance, L-cancel, and tech chasing, and learn how to incorporate them into your game.
    • Wavedashing is jumping and immediately air-dodging into the ground diagonally. If done correctly, Captain Falcon will slide along the stage a bit. This is a useful movement option as it allows you to do any ground attack right after, unlike a dash, and is a quicker movement option than turning around or dashing.
    • Dash dancing is when you quickly flick the control stick back and forth quickly. This cancels the starting animation of dashing, allowing the character to turn back and forth quickly. Useful for tricking the opponent.
    • L-cancelling is when you half the landing lag of an aerial attack by pressing the shield button right as you land. This should be done whenever possible, as it allows you to act quicker after using an attack. Only attacks using the A button in the air can be L-cancelled, not attacks using the B button.
    • Tech chasing is the act of predicting and chasing the opponent after they roll away, or land after tumbling to the ground. Wavedashing and dash dancing can be very important in effective tech-chasing. Captain Falcon has many moves that can initiate a tech chase, including down throw, down aerial, neutral air, and sweetspotted forward aerial (at lower percentages)

Tips

  • Avoid practicing purely against computers. Humans do not play like a computer and are not susceptible to mind games and tricks that human players are, meaning you might get used to how a computer plays and not do well against human players.
  • Mindgames are your friend! Tap the control stick left and right rapidly to dash dance. Use this to keep the opponent guessing, as Captain Falcon has one of the best dash dances.
  • Moonwalking is an advanced move that can be done with Falcon by running forward and then doing a half circle down and back. It has its uses, but is mostly for flashy players.
  • Falling off and grabbing onto the ledge prevents others from doing so. This can be an effective way to net a KO if you are sure they can't come back to the stage without grabbing the ledge.

Warnings

  • Captain Falcon falls pretty fast so make sure not to fall too far and not be able to make it back to the stage.
  • Since Captain Falcon's recovery is very linear and doesn't travel that far, it is easily to KO him if your opponent grabs the ledge. To prevent this, use all your recovery options and mix up your recovery. For example, if you predict that your opponent will grab the ledge, try jumping earlier and using up B earlier so you land on the stage instead of on the ledge.
  • If you use side B offstage trying to get back on, be aware that you cannot grab the ledge after using it.

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