User blog:Plasmaster/Smash Study Hall: Little Mac

Hey there Smashers! Welcome to the first post of the blog series Smash Study Hall! Plasmaster here. Today we are going to dive headfirst into the under-rated boxer from The Bronx, Little Mac!

Now before I start I just want to let you all know what exactly Smash Study Hall is. It is a blog series that I am starting in which each post will focus on one Smash character in particular and provide some helpful strategies, tips, and tricks to help you all get better at the character. Now, I am not a master at all of these characters and play some more than others, but I will still try my best to supply you with as much information as possible. So, without further ado, let's get smashing!

Now everyone knows what a polar character Little Mac is, being an outstandingly dominant force on the ground but reduced to a flailing and ineffective fighter in the air.

That brings me to my first point. If you are playing as Little Mac on a stage with lots of platforms, stay on the safest platform to ensure you have the smallest amount of risk of falling off the edge. Make the opponent come to you, fight on your terms. If it is a travelling stage that forces you to move off a safe platform, make sure you have minimal air time when moving from platform to platform. It is key to stay on the ground where Little Mac is the powerhouse. If you want to main Little Mac, traversing the stage is a very important factor to ensure Little Mac doesn't fall short of the ledge.

Now that's not to say you should never go in the air. While Little Mac's aerials are atrocious in attack power, they can be good for setting up combo strings, especially his forward and neutral airs. His up airs can be useful after launching an opponent into the air from the ground, but don't use it for juggling, you'll just waste your time. Use the up air simply as a method of racking on damage. His back air is kind of the same as forward air, but has a shorter range. HIs down air has absolutely no meteor smash power behind it; it is very weak and shouldn't be used off stage if at all.

So that covers his aerials, but it is really his ground game that you should focus on. His neutral jab is an amazing jab capable of racking up lots of damage and a decent launch with the finisher. HIs tilts are good for combo strings, with his down tilt setting up for all kinds of combo opportunities, especially if you have the K.O. Punch.

Little Mac's smash attacks are his money-makers though. During the attack frames they have Super Armor behind them. If an opponent is coming at you while charging you're charging a smash attack, remember two things:

1. Little Mac doesn't have Super Armor while charging the smash, only during the attack frames; if you think an opponent is going to interrupt your charge, release the attack sooner. It is better to get off a smash attack at half-charge and have it hit rather than to fully charge one only to have it interrupted.

2. Little Mac's Forward Smash can be angled, which also changes the animation the attack undergoes. If an opponent tries to short hop for their attack, tilt the forward smash upwards; the uppercut from this will pack lots of power on them.

His down smash is another great move, covering lots of ground and great for edge-guarding.

Speaking of edge-guarding...yeah, don't do it. I know that edge-guarding is a key strategy in Smash, but when you are playing as Little Mac it isn't a good thing to do. Unless you are 100% certain you'll be able to guard the edge, don't do it in the first place. The opponent will find a way to read your attack, dodge accordingly, and then reverse the roles, putting Mac in a bad position.

Let me put it into boxing terms, since Little Mac is a boxer. In boxing, you don't want to get stuck in the corner or your opponent will be able to beat on you relentlessly. You want to stay in the center. Same goes for Little Mac in Smash. Stay centered on the stage and away from the edge. Rely on your smash attacks to launch your opponents away from the center of the stage rather than risk getting K.O.'d at the ledge.

His throws are not very powerful, not doing too much damage or knockback, but that makes them all the better for starting combos. This is important with all Smash characters but most certainly Mac: rack up damage using combos from tilts and throws and then finish it off with a smash attack. Again, boxing terms. You use your weaker hand to put on damage and pressure and then go in with your dominant hand for the knock-out.

Now to wrap this all up by looking at his special moves!

His neutral special is a great move that has Super Armor frames while charging it and while launching the attack. If an opponent is going for a grab, launch the attack immediately or cancel the charge with a shield and evade the grab. Don't fully charge the move either; if an opponent is able to predict when the attack will be launched (at full charge) they can easily dodge, run up behind Mac, and punish.

The Jolt Haymaker is a good move on the ground but terrible in the air, as we all know. If you find yourself cornered at the edge by an opponent, Jolt Haymaker towards the center of the stage to get back to the middle of the ring and damage your opponent while doing it. Don't use it excessively or you will make an input mistake and go in the wrong direction--right off the edge.

Rising Uppercut is a great combo finisher when started on the ground and is also useful out of shield when an opponent is right nearby.

Slip Counter is an extremely useful move both in the center and at the ledge. If an opponent cornered you at the ledge and is going for a launching smash attack, Slip Counter is the way to go; just be sure not to let it loose too early and don't use it too often--throwing out counters all day will get you grabbed time and time again.

There is one more thing I haven't covered: the K.O. Punch. This move is another great finisher for combos; a good way to trap opponents just long enough for you to throw it out on them is to use down tilt, neutral air, and down air. It can also be used as a recovery if you do it right. Go to TheSkuxxedOne's YouTube channel for more info on that.

Well guys, there you have it, the first post of Smash Study Hall! I hope this helped you to improve your Little Mac game! Leave any questions or comments down in the...comments. *Ahem*

Also, let me know what character you want to see next. I'll pick the most popular one and get started on my research!