User blog:Plasmaster/Smash Study Hall: Wii Fit Trainer

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

Remember a few months ago when I said the Wii Fit guide would be done in one week? Yeah, me neither.

Wii Fit Trainer is a bit of an awkward character to play as though. I kept thinking I'd gotten the character figured out but then my strategies always fell short when I tested them Online. I went back to the drawing board about four times, but I can now confidently say that I think I have found the key to playing this unorthodox fighter.

Wii Fit Trainer's best tools are her special moves of course.

Sun Salutation is a versatile projectile that deals lots of damage to an opponent hit by it. The projectile moves relatively fast and heals Wii Fit Trainer if fully charged up when fired. The projectile should be fully charged up every time before you fire it, as the projectile can break shields in two shots when fully charged and is an excellent kill move as well, killing at around 110%. Wii Fit Trainer can increase the damage and kill power of the move by using Deep Breathing before firing it and can also jump off stage and charge it a bit before recovering so that Wii Fit Trainer can get a moment to charge it up without the opponent interrupting her; just remember to begin charging when above the edge or Wii Fit Trainer will fall too far down to be able to recover. The move can also be fired for the sole purpose of healing Wii Fit Trainer without even trying to hit an opponent; though using it as an attack is more practical, the 2% that it heals could be just enough to save Wii Fit Trainer from being launched by an enemy kill move.

Header is another versatile move, as the long-range projectile can be slightly aimed by pressing the button again after Wii Fit Trainer leaps up. Not tapping the button will result in the ball being knocked at a more downwards angle while pressing the button will aim it slightly higher; Header is excellent for stalling on the edge. While trying to recover, Wii Fit Trainer can stop her momentum by using Header and then quickly adjust course after using the move, allowing her to stall her recovery briefly to keep opponents guessing. Wii Fit can drop from the edge, jump, and then use the move to hit an edge-guarding opponent with the ball by bouncing or skimming it across the stage. When hanging from the edge, Wii Fit can use her side special in the opposite direction from the edge to hit the ball away from the stage and then automatically regrab the edge. This will not work if Wii Fit Trainer does not have the ball when it is used and the player will have to manually regrab the edge. Why is this useful? Well, a recovering opponent closing in on the edge can easily be deterred away from it by the projectile, and if they're close enough, you can even spike them downwards with the headbutt. The shield button can be pressed to cancel the move, allowing the ball to fall down to the ground; this can allow for even more versatility in how the projectile is fired by cancelling the move and then hitting it with a standard attack to direct its path and angle in a direction that the regular move otherwise couldn't reach. The move must not be cancelled off-stage because it leaves Wii Fit Trainer helpless when this is done.

The Super Hoop move has little to no offensive use. Tap the button rapidly to ascend higher and faster.

Deep Breathing is more useful than one might think. The move slows Wii Fit Trainer's descent in the air and can be cancelled by air dodging. You can jump off stage high above the edge and use this move to slow Wii Fit Trainer's descent, forcing the opponent to approach and allowing Wii Fit Trainer to quickly change momentum after the move finishes or when cancelled. The move increases Wii Fit Trainer's attack power for the next fifteen seconds, making her smash attacks and Sun Salutation potent killing attacks, and also heals a bit of damage. If the opponent doesn't approach Wii Fit Trainer when Deep Breathing is used off-stage, she'll bolster her attack power and heal herself a little bit, putting the enemy in a tougher spot. Deep Breathing is safest to use off-stage because on-stage it can be punished easily; her descent is slowed down, meaning she can recover back to the stage or stall on the edge after using it (wait between Deep Breathing uses, because using it more than twice subsequently off-stage will result in Wii Fit Trainer falling too far down to recover unless you cancel the move). The only thing the opponent can do when Wii Fit is using the move is jump up and approach, and since Wii Fit can cancel the move, she can dodge the opponents attack and then put them in a bad spot by hitting them with an aerial attack.

Now onto her standard attacks. Her jab deals some good damage, and the third hit can bury opponents to set up for a smash attack at higher percentages. The first hit actually hits on both sides, allowing Wii Fit Trainer to cover herself from enemy approaches behind her. Her forward tilt also hits on both sides; the front attack launches horizontally and is excellent for spacing and getting an opponent off-stage. The behind attack launches opponents into the air, comboing into up aerial and back aerial. Wii Fit's up tilt is her best combo starter of all of her tilts. It combos into itself at least twice, combos into up smash, up aerial, neutral aerial, forward aerial, and back aerial attacks. Her down tilt is good for spacing and launching an opponent off-stage. She has a very low crouch, allowing her to duck under small projectiles; an opponent that dashes in after firing the projectile can easily be hit with the down tilt; down tilt can combo into forward tilt at lower percentages and dash attack. Speaking of which, Wii Fit's dash attack combos into itself at least twice at lower percentages and combos into forward aerial at most other percentages.

Wii Fit Trainer's smash attacks are difficult to land, but deal devastating damage and launch when they connect. Her forward smash is an outstanding kill move, killing at 70% without the effects of Deep Breathing enhancing it. It hits behind Wii Fit Trainer at a short range, allowing the move to cover some rolls. Her up smash is difficult to land because of its poor horizontal range but combos out of up tilt and can kill around 90%. Her down smash is not good for killing but launches a great horizontal distance, making it great for launching opponents off-stage; down smash can also combo into dash attack at lower percentages.

Wii Fit Trainer's aerial moves are some of her best combo attacks. Her neutral aerial has upwards launch making it great for comboing into up aerial, back aerial, and forward aerial and also being able to combo into jab and up tilt when used near the ground. Her back aerial is an excellent kill move and spacing tool and combos out of the behind attack of forward aerial, neutral aerial, up tilt, and down throw, as well as comboing into dash attack. Forward aerial is another move that hits in front of and behind Wii Fit Trainer. The front attack is good for edge-guarding and combos out of up tilt and neutral aerial and comboing into dash attack. The behind attack can meteor smash opponents as well as combo into back aerial. Wii Fit's up air is good for juggling and can kill off the ceiling; it also combos out of neutral aerial, up throw, up tilt, and the behind attack of forward tilt. Wii Fit's down aerial is good for meteoring opponents off-stage but does not have any good combos.

Wii Fit Trainer's throws are generally good for starting combos as well. Her down throw combos into back aerial, up aerial, and neutral aerial. Up throw combos into up aerial and neutral aerial, and forward throw can combo into Sun Salutation. Back throw is only good for getting an opponent off-stage.

Wii Fit Trainer is an awkward fighter; its almost like she requires a bit of effort and finesse in order to perfect...wait, did Sakurai put her in the game to trick us into exercising our thumbs more!? Eh, either way, she requires a lot of quick reactions; a Wii Fit player needs to pay attention to the angles her attacks launch at and quickly react in order to extend the combos. Even stalling on the edge requires a lot of quick inputs; Wii Fit Trainer must constantly be moving around when stalling off stage in order to avoid being punished by the opponent.

I hope you enjoyed this guide on Wii Fit Trainer! I also hope it helped you to improve your Wii Fit Trainer 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 me do a guide on!

Next time, get ready to learn how to play like a king! The King Dedede guide is next.