A Meteor Smash is a kind of move introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee in which you can smash an opponent downwards quickly. In Melee, the opponent can cancel the Meteor Smash by jumping or using an upwards third jump attack immediately after being struck. If the meteor smashed person is holding up and/or a jump button when struck by the Meteor Smash and the control stick and/or jump button goes back to their neutral position, he/she can Meteor Cancel too.
Meteor Cancels become more difficult to perform at higher damages because the character flies downwards at a higher speed as damage increases. It's possible to Meteor Cancel at any time still being in air during the character's tumbling animation, but it's obviously better to do it as soon as possible.
In Brawl, Meteor Cancels can still be performed, but can no longer be performed immediately after being hit. It's only possible to meteor cancel after falling about half of the original distance, and mashing jump buttons won't work, because after pressing the jump button there is a period of time in which the character cannot meteor cancel, similar to techs. Both double jump, triple jump and tether recoveries can be used to meteor cancel, but there are exceptions, such as Pit whose Up Special and jumps cannot be used to meteor cancel.
Any character in Melee and most in Brawl can Meteor Cancel with their second jump.
Meteor Smashing is useful against characters without effective triple jumps (i.e. Ike, Yoshi) who have limited use for an Up+B Meteor Cancel.
A technique in Melee and Brawl called Stage Spike is done by hitting the opponent into stages causing them to get meteor smashed to death.
List of Meteor Smashes
Not all characters have availability to a Meteor Smash. The characters that can Meteor Smash are listed here. Spikes and Semi-Spikes are not listed here.
In Melee
- F-Air. Mario makes a large swinging motion with his fist, hitting those parallel to him downwards. This attack is Slow and hard to execute, Mario's F-Air must be timed for correct use.
- D-Air. Luigi twists in the air and those he hits with his backside are sent downwards. If the wrong part of the attack hits, it results in considerable knockback, making it a great edgeguard nonetheless.
- Taunt. Luigi kicks his foot into the ground. If you hit an opponent hanging on an edge, it will hit them with a Meteor Smash. This is one of the few Meteor Smashes which should be used on the ground.
- D-tilt. Luigi sticks his foot out in front of him. If a foe is hanging on the edge, it will weakly meteor smash them.
- D-Tilt. This move is one of the few Meteor Smashes which should be used on the ground. Peach swipes at the ground in front of her. Any airborne player hit on the head will fall quickly.
- D-Air. Yoshi's classic scuttle-kick. Each of his kicks is a Meteor Smash, although they are considerably weak. At high percentages Yoshi will smash the enemies quickly down. Yoshi's drill Meteor Smash is the strongest drill Meteor Smash.
- F-Air. This move is very similar to Mario's F-Air, but instead Yoshi uses its head to slam the opponent downward. It is quicker than Mario's though.
- D-Air. A standard stomp attack with Donkey Kong.
- F-Air. This is an low-accuracy move which hits only if the opponent is touched by Donkey Kong's hands at the end of the move. Donkey Kong is very vulnerable at the end of the move.
- Head butt. In the air Donkey Kong uses his head to strike down an opponent in front of him. This tactic is useful for edge guarding as DK can smash someone downwards while keeping himself on the floor.
- D-Air. A rather effective stomp with a decent hitbox area. It is often used because Falcon can jump off the stage, hit with it, and still recover. If Falcon hits with it's upper hitbox (the nipples) it acts as a Spike and is called Nipple Spike.
- Raptor Boost (Air). Falcon rushes forward with a downwards vertical swing. This is a very risky attack because the attack is often done off-stage and once used renders him immobile.
- D-Air. Very similar to Captain Falcon's D-Air, a very powerful stomp. The hitbox covers nearly all of Ganondorf's body, so you can technically hit someone with it using Ganondorf's head.
- Wizard's Foot. Very hard to recover from, both for Ganondorf and his opponent.
- Gerudo Dragon when on Air yor opponent will fall at tremendous Speed
- Falco Phantasm. If the opponent is airborne while struck with this move, they will be sent downwards. It is relatively easy to meteor-cancel. Conversely, Fox's Fox Illusion is not a Meteor Smash.
- D-Throw. If Falco throws his opponent down near an edge which can't be passed through while facing away from the edge, the opponent will fall downwards at very high speeds.
- D-Air. If timed correctly, this attack can be a meteor smash.
- D-Air. Fox's drill has Meteor Smash properties. The speed at which the opponents fall is slow and they fall only a short distance, making it an extremely weak attack.
- D-Throw. A weaker version of Falco's D-Throw. When Fox throws his opponent down at an edge which can't be passed through while facing away from the edge, the opponent will drop at considerable speed.
- D-Air. Ness' stomp has quite a bit of start-up lag.
- F-Air. Followed by a little start-up lag. The Ice Climbers execute this attack in the air, which is usually canceled by Nana's hammer, and smash the opponent downwards.
- Also, Nana can do a meteor smash, but Popo cannot.
- D-Air. Kirby's drill has Meteor Smash properties. The speed at which the opponents fall is slow and the distance is short, making it an weak attack but better a better drill smash than Fox's.
- Final Cutter. This is a relatively weak Meteor Smash but can be used against characters which recover with some extra height to throw them down. This Meteor Smash can be used for combos.
- D-Air. Samus' standard Meteor Smash where she punches downwards. It has a decent sized hitbox. A commonly used attack.
- D-Air. A very weak Meteor Smash which Zelda performs by extending her leg downwards; however, if sweetspotted, it is an extremely strong meteor smash.
- D-Tilt. Zelda performs this attack by sweeping her leg. Another ground Meteor Smash which smashes the opponent downwards. This attack has extremely low range, power and priority and can only be used on the ground.
- D-Tilt. This is another Meteor Smash which can only be used on the ground. Link swipes the ground in front of him, smashing airborne opponents. A good edgeguarding technique. Link should use this on an enemy which is recovering from directly below.
- D-Air. If you hit the opponent with the hilt of the sword, they will be dealt fire damage and meteor smashed (sometimes referred to as the 'Dragon D-air')
- D-Tilt. Similar to Link's D-tilt though more powerful. A good edge guarding technique. Young Link should use this attack on an enemy which is recovering from directly below him. Better than Link's Meteor Smash.
- D-Air. This is an extremely hard Meteor Smash to execute. Jigglypuff's lower hitbox has Meteor Smash properties it sends the enemy downwards at considerable speed and length. However if another part of Jigglypuff touches the opponent, the Meteor Smash is canceled.
- D-Air. Mewtwo's D-Air is a very weak Meteor Smash. The attack's hitbox is on Mewtwo's foot, and can is difficult to time properly.
- D-Air. The first few frames of this move strike the opponent downwards, but only if opponent is right beside him.
- Dancing Blade. On the third hit of his Dancing Blade attack, if the "down" attack is chosen, Marth will spin and swing his sword to the ground. The movement produces a Meteor Smash. Its knockback and speed are average.
- D-Air. If Marth hits with the sword, the opponent will be smashed downwards at very high speed. In the PAL version the D-Air strikes the opponent downwards in the same way as in the NTSC version although in the PAL version you can Meteor Cancel it, making it a Meteor Smash. However, in the NTSC version of the game this attack can't be Meteor canceled, making it a spike. If Marth hits with the wrong part Marth will jump a little bit and the opponent will move to the side slightly.
- D-Air. This attack is the same as Marth's but Roy's D-Air is weaker and harder to pull off due to a smaller hitbox and is a Meteor Smash in both NTSC and PAL versions of the game.
- Double-Edge Dance. Similar to Marth's, except the third attack must be upwards.
In Brawl
It should be noted that, with the addition of the Footstool Jump , all characters can perform a Meteor Smash in Brawl. Characters with other meteor smashes are listed here. The thrown Pitfall and a falling Warp Star also have this effect. Semi-spikes are not included in this list. Till now, no spikes are found in Brawl, so all meteors can be canceled.
- Down Tilt while being Giga Bowser. Sweeps twice with his claws along the ground. Both hits meteor smashes.
- Down Aerial. Falcon's classic stomp, but will only smash if the opponent is directly underneath him. If they are to the side, they will be knocked upwards at an angle, which means that the nipple spike has been removed from this.
- Raptor Boost. If used in the air, Falcon will leapfrog over the opponent, thrusting them downwards and himself hopefully to safety.
- Down Aerial. Diddy Kong thrusts both fists under him, meteor smashes powerfully. Has a little delay, similar to Captain Falcon's Stomp
- Monkey Flip. When he catches the opponent, jump and the opponent will be sent downwards.
- Rocketbarrel Barrage. When an opponent is directly under the barrels, they are meteor smashed.
- Down Aerial. Powerful, yet slow stomp.
- Forward Aerial. DK Swings his fists together in an arc. The bottom can meteor smash.
- Headbutt. If this hits an aerial opponent, rather than embedding them in the ground, it launches them downwards.
- Down Aerial. Diagonal drill. First few frames are a powerful diagonal meteor smash.
- Falco Phantasm. Aerial opponents hit by this are meteor smashed. However, unless used as a recovery, this can be a dangerous maneuver, and it is weak.
- Down Aerial. A very weak drill-meteor smash.
- Down Aerial. Anyone caught in the stomp is electrocuted and sent flying downward if they are in the air. Nearly impossible to recover from at any percentage.
- Flame Choke. If used on the ground, Ganondorf lifts his opponent by the head and launches them directly in to the ground. If it is used over a ledge, the are send downwards weakly, and will grab any ledge which can be grabbed at any percentages, as it has a set knockback. If this move is used in the air, and connects, it will drag both Ganondorf and his opponent to their deaths, which can be used to end stock matches when the opponent only has one stock. Both characters will die at exactly the same time, and this will start sudden death if both only have one stock.
- Wizard's Foot. A Stall-Then-Fall. If used in the air, the first few frames of this move are a spike. Difficult to use without dying, however.
- Final Smash. If Ganondorf stuns his opponent(s), but does not hit them, they will fall straight down. Usually only performable if opponent is on ledge.
- Forward Aerial. Ice Climbers swing their hammers in an arc. The CPU partner's hit can meteor smash.
- Down Tilt. Ike crouches and sweeps his blade forward along the ground. A strong meteor smash with great range, yet quite slow.
- Down Aerial. Ike thrusts his blade below him. The entirety of the blade meteor smashes anyone who are hit at the initial thrust. Also has a long, disjointed range.
- Aether. Meteor smashes with the downwards slash, similar to Kirby's Final Cutter.
- Eruption. Meteor smashes if opponent is underneath, and gets hit by the tip.
- Super Dedede Jump. Meteor smashes the opponent when falling down. It can be dangerous to use.
- Down Tilt. Link sweeps his sword along the ground, meteor smashing anyone off the edge. Decent range and power.
- Down Aerial. Moderate power drill-meteor smash. Kirby can fast-fall while using this move to amplify the knockback.
- Final Cutter. This move spikes with the downwards slash. Mostly it combos someone in to the shock wave, but it can be used on the edge to meteor smash.
- Final Smash, Aura Storm. If an opponent over laps Lucario in the air they will be sent down quickly.It has a set knockback
- Down Aerial. Lucas stomps downwards with four Psi Hexagons. The first two have little knockback, and the fourth can meteor smash quite weakly.
- Back Aerial. Lucas sweeps a downwards arc behind him with his legs, accompanied by Psi Hexagons to increase range. The last part of the arc sends opponents downwards.
- Taunt. One of the only two taunts in the game that can hit an opponent. Luigi kicks his foot into the ground. If you hit an opponent hanging on an edge, it will meteor smash them powerfully with set knockback which is enough to One-hit KO an opponent on Battlefield. This is one of the few Meteor Smashes which should be used on the ground.
- Down Aerial. Meteor smashes at the first few frames of his spinning hands. Can be used at both sides of him. It is much easier to do than in Melee.
- Down Tilt. Opponent must be directly under Luigi in order to be meteor smashed. It has less than average knockback.
- Forward Aerial. Mario swings his fist in an arc. Sends opponents downwards if they are hit by the fist. Fairly powerful, though slow meteor smash.
- Down Aerial. Large downwards arc of the blade. Anyone caught with the tip is sent away quickly, meteor smashing.
- Dancing Blade. Weakly meteor smashes with the third hit of this attack if the direction selected as "down". It only works if it is not sweetspotted.
- Up Tilt. Must face the opposite direction and catch opponent with the blade as it returns to the other side after the attack.
- Up Smash. If positioned and timed correctly, a useful edgeguarding technique. Marth must be close to the edge, to the point his foot moves off stage when using the Up-Smash. His foot comes out, and has a hitbox that is useful to catch others offguard.
- Down Aerial. A Stall-Then-Fall. Stalls in the air, then falls quickly with his key extended downwards. Anyone hit in the air with the initial fall is spiked downwards, but this attack can be dangerous to use.
- Chef. The pan part of the attack can semi-spike.
- Down Throw. Juggles opponent in the air like a ball then sends them down into the ground. If done close to the edge, the opponent is Meteor Smashed.
- Down Aerial, Step Kick. Ness' classic stomp and one of the strongest Meteor Smashes.
- PK Thunder 2. Aimed downwards, it is technically a very powerful spike, but is practically a suicidal attack, unless Ness grabs the edge after hitting an opponent.
- Down Aerial. Thrusts a Pikmin under him. The first few frames can meteor smash the opponent.
- Final Smash, End of Day. If a midair opponent (opponents on the ground are submerged into the ground instead) makes contact with the Hocotate Ship, they are sent downwards very quickly.
- Down Tilt. Sweeps hand along the ground with fairly short range. It is hard to catch people in it, but can meteor smash.
- Down Aerial. Sweeps both of his blades beneath him. It is very difficult to time properly.
- Down Tilt. Sweeps his blade along the ground. Decent power and range.
- Down Aerial. Stomps beneath himself, similar to Ganondorf's and Captain Falcon's Meteor Smash.
- Down Aerial. Turns upside down and shoots a burst of red powder from his bulb.
- Down Aerial. R.O.B. fires his thrusters downwards.
- Down Aerial. Samus swings her arm-cannon in a downwards sweep. Meteor smashes with a fairly large hitbox, though comes out a little slowly.
- Flip Jump. Zero Suit Samus does a flip jump. If an attack button is pressed while she performs this, she sticks out her foot pointing towards the center of the arc of the jump. Anyone who hits the tip of the foot is spiked.
- Plasma Wire. This move shoots upwards, pulling anyone above Zero Suit Samus down. If Zero Suit Samus is above a pit at this time, they keep going down past her in to the pit.
- Down aerial. A Stall-Then-Fall aerial. A weak meteor smash that spikes during the entire fall. Hard to use without dying.
- Forward Aerial. Snake does an ax-heel kick, bringing his leg down from above his head to a little behind him. Anyone caught in the downwards arc will be dragged down, and the last bit meteor smashes the opponent down and backwards.
- Down Aerial. A Stall-Then-Fall. Stalls in the air, then falls quickly with sword thrust downwards. Anyone hit in the air with the initial fall is spiked downwards, but this attack can be dangerous to use.
- Down Aerial while being Wario-Man. Face his head downward and drills, falling at a very fast speed. A very strong meteor smash, covers a great distance and since he can fly, he can easily land this attack off stage without dying.
- Throwing his Bike. When it hits his opponents in midair, it will bounce off of their head. If his opponents give up, the bike will push them downwards. If his opponents keep trying to recover, the bike will rack up over 100% damage.
- Down Aerial. Thrusts his arms downwards quickly, and with long duration. Meteor smashes powerfully.
- Wolf Flash. The very end of the attack is a meteor smash.
- Forward Aerial. Like Mario's and Donkey Kong's, only Yoshi swings his head in an arc. Powerful downwards spike, used to finish off a grab-release chain.
- Down Aerial. Rapidly kicks his feet under him. Most powerful drill-meteor smash.
- Down Tilt. Zelda sticks her foot out, normally popping people up. If it hits an airborne opponent, it pops them downwards.
- Down Aerial. Zelda sticks her foot downwards. There is a sweet spot on the foot. If the opponent is hit with this sweet-spot, they pause momentarily while being electrocuted, then are shot downwards with incredible force. If the move hits anywhere else, it is a weak meteor smash. Can only sweetspot against aerial or shielding opponents.
See also
- Spike – a Meteor Smash that cannot be canceled.
- Semi spike – a move that hits the opponent at a very low angle, minimizing recovery opportunities.
- Footstool Jump – a Super Smash Bros. Brawl technique in which a character can jump on their opponent's head. If done in air it causes a Meteor Smash