User blog:Plasmaster/Pac-Man! Show Me Your Custom Moves!

Hey there Smashers! Welcome back to the third installment of the Super Smash Bros. custom moves strategy guide blog series, Show Me Your Custom Moves! Plasmaster here.

Today I will be waka-walking you through the custom moves of everyone's favorite ghost-munching protagonist, Pac-Man!



Let's get right to it!

Custom Neutral Special 2-Freaky Fruit

'Summon fruit that move in strange and unpredictable ways, or even travel farther.'

Pros:


 * Unpredictable movement pattern


 * The Apple can force opponents into the air and has long range


 * Pac-Man can re-grab some fruits


 * Orange has long range


 * Galaxian has long range


 * Bell is a good air barrier

Cons:


 * Strange movement patterns make them unlikely to hit unless used correctly


 * Key has very short range


 * Melon is slow and doesn't last long on stage


 * Everything below the Apple is weak damage-wise


 * Bell has short horizontal range

Freaky Fruit is a weird move, but if you know what each fruit does and how to use them the move can be quite effective. The unpredictable ways each fruit moves in can catch your opponents off-guard in the right situation. Let's take a look at each individual fruit to see how they can work. The Cherry has a short range but bounces back and forth in front of Pac-Man; this can be used to keep opponents at bay or Pac-Man can grab it and throw it again when closer to the opponent. The Strawberry bounces slowly back and forth over a long range; this can force opponents to go into the air; Pac-Man can also grab this after thrown. The Orange has a very long range but only deals 2% damage; even so, it can be a good tool to put some damage on your opponent from a long range. The Apple bounces forwards very quickly, the bounces extending in length the farther the Apple gets from Pac-Man; the way it moves along the ground can force opponents into the air. The Melon bounces very high, bounces once, and then vanishes; it is very slow and is not recommended to be used. The Galaxian has very long range and actually goes back the way it came except flying over Pac-Man, which can discourage enemy aerial assaults. The Bell goes a very short distance forwards and then steeply flies upwards; this can keep opponents from trying to approach from the air, much like Mega Man's Danger Wrap. Finally, the Key has a very short range and doesn't even deal much damage; if you are trying to charge up Freaky Fruit as much as possible, don't bother charging up to the Key.

Custom Neutral Special 3-Lazy Fruit

'Summon slow-moving fruit that tend to stick around for quite some time.'

Pros:


 * Lasts a long time on stage


 * Pac-Man can re-grab all fruit


 * More damage

Cons:


 * Slow


 * Typically short range, save for the Apple and Melon

The Lazy Fruit is a move that is useful for keeping enemies away from Pac-Man. Each fruit lasts a while on the stage, creating an obstacle on the stage for opponents. All of the fruit can be grabbed by Pac-Man and thrown again, so Pac-Man is able to control the stage by placing these obstacles virtually anywhere on the stage. Though slow, the fruits all deal more damage than the default move. The fact that Pac-Man can pick them up and throw them out elsewhere also makes up for the lack of range many of the fruit have, with only the Apple and Melon having good range to them.

Custom Side Special 2-Distant Power Pellets

'Summon Pac-Dots that move faster and farther, but your own movement is slower.'

Pros:


 * Horizontal recovery


 * Vertical recovery


 * More freedom of movement


 * Travels farther than the default

Cons:


 * Has starting lag

This move is excellent for recovery both horizontal and vertical since not only does it cover a good distance but it also can be aimed directly up or horizontally or--wherever! This move gives you lots of freedom with where Pac-Man is able to move since the greater number of dots allows you to draw some more unorthodox shapes with them. The only drawback to this move is that it has lots of starting lag, especially if you are trying to get the full extent of the Pac-Dots out on the stage.

Custom Side Special 3-Enticing Power Pellet

'Summon a row of Pac-Dots that pull your opponents towards them.'

Pros:


 * Deals more damage than the default


 * Pulls opponents in at the start of the move


 * Some recovery options

Cons:


 * Slow to start

The Enticing Power Pellet is a slow move that takes a few seconds to get started. In this time, the small number of Power Pellets that come out will pull nearby opponents towards them so that when the attack is launched they will be hit by Pac-Man. When they are hit, the move deals some good damage, around 18% if both hits connect. The move is also a recovery option when near the edge.

Custom Up Special 2-Power Pac-Jump

'Summon a trampoline that bounces you higher than usual but doesn't stick around.'

Pros:


 * Deals more damage than default


 * Can kill at 150% on most characters


 * Decent vertical distance

Cons:


 * Trampoline doesn't stay on-stage

This move is useful in that not only does it deal more damage, but it is a useful kill move as well. Though the trampoline doesn't stay on the stage, it does launch you higher than usual, giving Pac-Man a good vertical recovery move. In addition, the trampoline not staying on-stage means that recovering opponents can't use it either.

Custom Up Special 3-Meteor Trampoline

'Bounces you less high. When it's red, it has the meteor effect and can bury whoever jumps on it.'

Pros:


 * Combo options


 * Meteor/burrowing effect

Cons:


 * Less damage


 * Pac-Man can also be meteored/burrowed


 * Less distance covered with each bounce

The Meteor Trampoline has lots of uses but Pac-Man's overall recovery suffers as a result. Using the move while on the ground will create an obstacle for opponents; Pac-Man can hit the opponents into the trampoline to burrow them, allowing for some combos to follow like a forward tilt, down tilt, or down air, or even a launching attack like a forward smash. Using it in the air will meteor whoever touches it. Using the move off-stage or on the edge can create problems for recovering opponents; if they try to grab the edge, they'll be meteored, and trying to use the trampoline to recover is not an option either. Pac-Man deals less damage to opponents he hits while using the move.

Custom Down Special 2-On-Fire Hydrant

'Summon a fire hydrant that unleashes fire instead of water. Careful, it'll hurt you too!'

Pros:


 * Edge-guarding


 * Deals damage


 * Fires 3 times instead of 2


 * Easier to launch the hydrant

Cons:


 * The move will also hurt Pac-Man


 * Less range

This move, unlike the default, will deal damage and shoot three times instead of two. It also suffers from lack of range; however, it has many uses; edge-guarding, combos, and overall damage. Placing the hydrant on the edge will blast recovering opponents away from the edge. Launching the hydrant will also work; the hydrant is easier to launch as well. This combo can be hard to pull off, but will be effective when done correctly. Place the hydrant on the stage and get just out of range of the fire blasts. If your opponent is nearby, grab them and start pummeling; make sure you are facing the hydrant. The fire blasts will add extra damage to the opponents before the throw; Pac-Man can even throw opponents towards the hydrant to cause them to be caught in the blast as well.

Custom Down Special 3-Dire Hydrant

'Summon a fire hydrant that will explode after a while or when it hits the ground.'

Pros:


 * Deals damage


 * Pac-Man can use the move faster between uses

Cons:


 * Doesn't stay on-stage


 * Explodes after a set distance

The Dire Hydrant has some good positives and negatives. The move deals damage, unlike the default. However, it won't stay on stage since it explodes when it hits the ground. It also explodes after a set distance, so if you are too high above an enemy they won't be hit by it. Since it doesn't stay on stage though, Pac-Man doesn't have to launch the hydrant or wait for it to disappear after using it; he can use the move faster, with much shorter times between uses.

All right Pac-Mains! It is time for the OPTIMAL CUSTOM SMASH! The Optimal Custom Smash is what I have concluded is the best set of custom moves for Pac-Man based on my research. The Optimal Custom Smash for Pac-Man is:

Freaky Fruit- Freaky Fruit, unlike Bonus Fruit, is not simply a projectile but an obstacle on the stage, and though the Lazy Fruit is also an obstacle, the Freaky Fruit has lots of different uses, making it a versatile move for Pac-Man to use in lots of situations.

Distant Power Pellets- The move has phenomenal recovery and though it may not deal much damage, the extra distance allows Pac-Man to outmaneuver opponents with the paths the pellets can be moved in.

Meteor Trampoline- Although the move lacks vertical distance, the Distant Power Pellets move makes up for that; this move has lots of combo and kill options with its meteor and burrowing effect and serves as an obstacle on the stage.

On-Fire Hydrant- This move is great for edge-guarding and dealing damage in general. The hydrant serves as an obstacle on stage that can make opponents hesitant to approach Pac-Man, giving Pac-Man control of the stage when combined with the moves Freaky Fruit and Meteor Trampoline.

OPTIMAL CUSTOM SMASH

2, 2, 3, 2

I hope you enjoyed this entry of Show Me Your Custom Moves! I also hope this guide helped you to know the custom moves better and improve your custom sets!

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

Minna, miteite kure!

I challenge my fate!



The Marth and Lucina Custom Moves is next!

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