User blog:Plasmaster/Smash Study Hall: Corrin

Hey there Smashers! Welcome back to the Super Smash Bros. strategy guide blog series, Smash Study Hall! Plasmaster here.

Today we are taking a look at the dragon descendant with a path to choose, Dragon Marth! I mean, Corrin...

In Fire Emblem: Fates, Corrin has the ability of the Dragon's Vein, allowing him/her to change the tide of battle by altering the battlefield. Although Smash Bros. Corrin doesn't have this (it would be pretty OP if they did), Corrin's special moves all have certain properties that allow Corrin to effectively take control of a stage.

Let's get right into those special moves I just mentioned. Oh boy, Corrin's special moves have quite a bit to cover, so bear with me.

Dragon Fang Shot charges up fairly quickly but at a range it cannot combo because of the ending lag on the attack. This ending lag is actually a powerful bite attack that is a deadly kill move on nearby opponents, especially when they are already under the paralysis effect of the move's projectile. Holding down the button after the projectile is fired increases the damage of the bite; the bite is also excellent for edge-guarding. Use the move on the edge and 95% of the time an opponent will climb up onto the edge after the projectile is fired, not expecting the powerful jaws to clamp down upon them, launching them back off-stage and possibly killing them in the process. The projectile itself is also a kill move at high percentages; when uncharged, the move can combo into dash attack, but not much else. The projectile at full charge is also great for shield pressure; two fully charged Dragon Fang Shots will break an enemy shield.

DRAGON LUNGE. Perhaps one of Corrin's most versatile and useful moves, this attack has lots of set-ups. The move deals the most damage at the very tip. When an opponent is pinned down, Corrin has lots of options to go off of. However, don't forget that even if Corrin doesn't pin down an opponent with the move, he can still perform some of these options. The front kick and back kick are good for damage and also excellent kill moves. An Opponent will usually block the initial lunge attack with their shield and then drop their shield to try and attack; when they drop shield, this is the perfect time to do a front kick as a punish. If the opponent rolls behind Corrin when the initial lunged is executed, do a back kick to attack the opponent. If the opponent rolls away from Corrin as the lunge is executed, do a front kick. When you have pinned down jump out of the lunge and then hit the opponent with a down aerial. If the opponent manages to dodge the lunge and then prepares to fire a projectile at Corrin, jump out of the lunge to dodge the projectile and then use an aerial attack to punish. If the opponent does not escape the pin, Corrin can wait until the move cancels, dropping Corrin and the opponent to the ground; once on the ground, Corrin can do a down tilt to launch the opponent into the air and then follow up with an up aerial, neutral aerial, up smash, or up tilt, with the up aerial option being a viable kill combo. If the opponent does escape the pin, simply launch a forward or back kick to attack them and avoid being punished. If Corrin is recovering low and you know that up special won't make it to the edge, try to side special the wall of the stage (this method only works on stages that have walled edges such as Gamer on Wii U or Omega Green Hill Zone on 3DS.) Once you have done this, jump out of the lunge, granting Corrin an increase in height, and use your midair jump if you still have it. Then use the up special to reach the edge. If Corrin is trying to get back on the stage and an opponent use Dragon Lunge to skewer the edge and then forward kick the edge-guarding opponent; this damages the opponent and gets Corrin back on stage.

Up special is an excellent combo finisher and kill move. It doesn't get much horizontal movement, so if Corrin is launched far off stage, take Mr. Sakurai's advice and use back aerial to assist Corrin in recovering; trust me, it helps out more than you think.

Counter Surge is Corrin's run-of-the-mill counter attack, though it is very powerful and hits on both sides; it is a great kill move, but should not be spammed or Corrin will be easily punished.

Okay, now that the special moves are done, it is time for Corrin's standard attacks.

Corrin's jab attack is good for damage and as a combo finisher; his infinite jab is excellent for damage and shield pressure as well. Corrin's forward tilt is good for damage and as a spacing tool, as well as for ground combos. Corrin's down tilt comes out fast and is an excellent combo starter, combing into up tilt, up smash, neutral air, up air, and forward air. Corrin's up tilt is also a fast attack that conbos out of down tilt and into itself at lower percentages, comboing into up smash reliably as a combo extension. Corrin's dash attack is great for damage and combos out of down aerial but is easy to punish because of its ending lag.

His smash attacks all have good range and are quite fast. Corrin's forward smash has incredible range and deals the most damage at the tip, which can make spacing key because the tip kills earlier than the rest of the attack. Forward smash also works as a spacing tool and the charging hitboxes can be great for punishing rolls, trapping opponent for the actual attack, and when the charging hitboxes and attack are used together they can break shields. Corrin's up smash is a fast attack but it has very short horizontal range, though it combos out of down tilt and up tilt. Down smash comes out so fast that when uncharged it can be difficult to punish rolls with, so try to charge it up a bit before launching it when trying to punish a roll.

Corrin's neutral aerial has wide range, deals good damage, is an excellent combo move and edge-guarding tool, and can kill near the edge. Corrin's forward aerial is a good aerial combo tool and edge-guarding method. The back aerial, as I said before, is great for assisting in recovery, though it is also great for just dealing damage and is also a good kill move. Corrin's up aerial is good for juggling and also kills off the ceiling. Down aerial is easy to punish if it misses, but when it connects it deals good damage and works as an edge-guarding tool.

The down throw is a great kill move that combos into forward aerial at low percentages, up aerial, up special, neutral aerial, and can combo into side special if Corrin jumps into the air and executes the attack in the opposite direction. Up throw combos into up tilt, up aerial, forward aerial, neutral aerial, and Draconic Ascent. Forward throw does not combo into anything and is only good for getting opponents off-stage. Back throw combos into forward aerial but is otherwise not a great move.

Well, that's Corrin! I hope you enjoyed this guide on Corrin! I also hope this helped to improve your Corrin game!

If you have any questions, please let me know down in the comments. While you're at it, let me know what other characters you'd like to see.

Until next time, keep on smashing and leave it to Heropon!