- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
Welcome to Wario's Advanced Techniques Guide!
This guide assumes you already know the basics of how to play Wario effectively. It also assumes that you are aware of the techniques I will be discussing. If you want to know how to make the most out of his unique play style, this guide is for you. We'll cover some advanced techniques such as b-reversing, pivoting, etc. that can be used to better his specific moves and certain tactics that I have found to be effective.
Note
I will update this guide periodically, whenever I can, as even my play style changes frequently as I find better ways to deal with certain situations. I main Wario and I see great potential in him as a character, so I want to share that by keeping a guide on some of his best options in more competitive fights. If you play Wario as well, I hope this will be useful to you. If you don't play Wario, then you're in the wrong place anyway. As I continuously add more to this guide, please give as much feedback as possible, as I want my information to be as easy to understand and useful as possible. With that said, read on and enjoy!
Videos(?)
Just by the nature of a guide explaining advanced techniques, it may be difficult to get the whole idea just from text. As such, I will try to upload short videos demonstrating some of the techniques I discuss, preferably in actual match , or possibly just in training. Either way, hopefully they'll help provide a better understanding for readers.
Table of Contents:
1. Perfect Pivoting
Wario has a very short perfect pivot distance, and as such, it is difficult to use it for spacing, though not impossible. If you've read your opponent's move you can go into a forward smash for a great punish with a move that is otherwise incredibly difficult to land in competitive play. It can also be used for a quick but powerful punish off of shield; a down smash should also work for this ( or even better, a charged waft). If you've got your opponent in the air, as they approach the stage, dance around them and try to bait them with short hops into a position about one of Wario's width away from you, then close the space quickly with a perfect pivot and punish with preferably a forward smash, or possibly an up tilt if your opponent is at a low % and you want to avoid staling your smash attacks (Wario has generally poor kill opportunities, so avoid stale moves at all costs).
Additionally, I have found perfect pivoting into Wario's jab to be surprisingly effective. Appear to be taking a retreat, then quickly come back with a jab; if your opponent begins to chase, you'll hit them without giving them much time to react, as you would by using of of Wario's painfully slow smash attacks, and they try to increase the space between both of you, the quickness of the jab prevents most characters from punishing effectively.
2. Jab-Locking
Wario has two moves that will allow a jab-lock: his dash attack (sourspot), and his f-air. Neither of these two attacks allow for more than one hit to be landed in the lock, and the f-air, according to my experience, becomes much less effective around 50% on most characters, as they get knocked too far away for a really good punish to be executed.
In general, aerials can be difficult to work with in jab-locks, as the time you have to react is minimal, so for now, I will only talk about jab-locking with Wario's dash attack. In order to execute this, you must land the sourspot, which requires you to hit during the ending frames of the attack. Generally, in order to do this, you need about two of Wario's widths between you and your opponent when you begin the attack. For reference, at 0% on any character, when I down-throw them, and they input nothing, so they don't tech the ground, I can catch them in the lock if I instantly dash and dash attack in the direction they launch after executing the move. Unfortunately, it's never that easy in an actual match, when skilled players rarely miss such techs. As such, if you want to execute a jab-lock, when ever your opponent is in a position where they'll be required to tech, be aware to your distance from them; the moment they mess up, you've got to be there dash attacking in order to land the sourspot well under a second later. Try dash-dancing when in such a position to quickly maintain optimal distance as your opponent adjusts their movement.
Though it can be incredibly difficult to properly execute a jab-lock with Wario, it's quite rewarding. Note that whenever you land the sour dash attack, your opponent will end up behind you, so be ready to punish by turning around with a powerful forward smash, or if you have a waft charged, quickly move and land that. Both moves are incredibly powerful and otherwise tricky to land, so while difficult to perform in a professional match, Wario's jab-lock is definitely worth investing time into.
3. B-reversing
This tactic is incredibly important to Wario's game. B-reverse Chomp to add unpredictability to an already quick, high-priority, surprisingly long-ranged attack. This is one of Wario's best tactics to master, as it can be used relatively frequently without being punished. Due to its vast amount of potential uses, I suggest you experiment heavily with this to find good places to use it against specific characters and such. However, I will include a list of some of my favorite uses for the b-reversed Chomp in general.
4. Wavebouncing
While wavebouncing can be particularly effective for many characters that have projectiles, with Wario I find it best just to use a b-reverse or use just a straight up Chomp in most cases. Since Chomp is a command grab, the brief "bounce" of a wavebounce does little good for it and is best just for confusing opponents or making very slight space where it's needed. However, due to the quick start-up and end to the Chomp, you can still pull it off with relative ease without receiving a punish. Against certain characters, it can be effective for a quick bait and punish if they have some high-lag attacks. Just be sure to be as precise as possible, and don't get too comfortable performing these frequently, as skilled opponents will catch on.
This guide assumes you already know the basics of how to play Wario effectively. It also assumes that you are aware of the techniques I will be discussing. If you want to know how to make the most out of his unique play style, this guide is for you. We'll cover some advanced techniques such as b-reversing, pivoting, etc. that can be used to better his specific moves and certain tactics that I have found to be effective.
Note
I will update this guide periodically, whenever I can, as even my play style changes frequently as I find better ways to deal with certain situations. I main Wario and I see great potential in him as a character, so I want to share that by keeping a guide on some of his best options in more competitive fights. If you play Wario as well, I hope this will be useful to you. If you don't play Wario, then you're in the wrong place anyway. As I continuously add more to this guide, please give as much feedback as possible, as I want my information to be as easy to understand and useful as possible. With that said, read on and enjoy!
Videos(?)
Just by the nature of a guide explaining advanced techniques, it may be difficult to get the whole idea just from text. As such, I will try to upload short videos demonstrating some of the techniques I discuss, preferably in actual match , or possibly just in training. Either way, hopefully they'll help provide a better understanding for readers.
Table of Contents:
- Applicable Techniques
- Perfect Pivoting
- Jab-locking
- B-reversing
- Wavebouncing
- More coming soon
1. Perfect Pivoting
Wario has a very short perfect pivot distance, and as such, it is difficult to use it for spacing, though not impossible. If you've read your opponent's move you can go into a forward smash for a great punish with a move that is otherwise incredibly difficult to land in competitive play. It can also be used for a quick but powerful punish off of shield; a down smash should also work for this ( or even better, a charged waft). If you've got your opponent in the air, as they approach the stage, dance around them and try to bait them with short hops into a position about one of Wario's width away from you, then close the space quickly with a perfect pivot and punish with preferably a forward smash, or possibly an up tilt if your opponent is at a low % and you want to avoid staling your smash attacks (Wario has generally poor kill opportunities, so avoid stale moves at all costs).
Additionally, I have found perfect pivoting into Wario's jab to be surprisingly effective. Appear to be taking a retreat, then quickly come back with a jab; if your opponent begins to chase, you'll hit them without giving them much time to react, as you would by using of of Wario's painfully slow smash attacks, and they try to increase the space between both of you, the quickness of the jab prevents most characters from punishing effectively.
2. Jab-Locking
Wario has two moves that will allow a jab-lock: his dash attack (sourspot), and his f-air. Neither of these two attacks allow for more than one hit to be landed in the lock, and the f-air, according to my experience, becomes much less effective around 50% on most characters, as they get knocked too far away for a really good punish to be executed.
In general, aerials can be difficult to work with in jab-locks, as the time you have to react is minimal, so for now, I will only talk about jab-locking with Wario's dash attack. In order to execute this, you must land the sourspot, which requires you to hit during the ending frames of the attack. Generally, in order to do this, you need about two of Wario's widths between you and your opponent when you begin the attack. For reference, at 0% on any character, when I down-throw them, and they input nothing, so they don't tech the ground, I can catch them in the lock if I instantly dash and dash attack in the direction they launch after executing the move. Unfortunately, it's never that easy in an actual match, when skilled players rarely miss such techs. As such, if you want to execute a jab-lock, when ever your opponent is in a position where they'll be required to tech, be aware to your distance from them; the moment they mess up, you've got to be there dash attacking in order to land the sourspot well under a second later. Try dash-dancing when in such a position to quickly maintain optimal distance as your opponent adjusts their movement.
Though it can be incredibly difficult to properly execute a jab-lock with Wario, it's quite rewarding. Note that whenever you land the sour dash attack, your opponent will end up behind you, so be ready to punish by turning around with a powerful forward smash, or if you have a waft charged, quickly move and land that. Both moves are incredibly powerful and otherwise tricky to land, so while difficult to perform in a professional match, Wario's jab-lock is definitely worth investing time into.
3. B-reversing
This tactic is incredibly important to Wario's game. B-reverse Chomp to add unpredictability to an already quick, high-priority, surprisingly long-ranged attack. This is one of Wario's best tactics to master, as it can be used relatively frequently without being punished. Due to its vast amount of potential uses, I suggest you experiment heavily with this to find good places to use it against specific characters and such. However, I will include a list of some of my favorite uses for the b-reversed Chomp in general.
- B-reversing to catch a roll. This tactic is simple; staying on ground, run just in front of where your opponent is going to roll, then immediately b-reverse out of your dash. If executed correctly, you will catch the your opponent. Don't use this simple trick too frequently however, as it will become predictable; rather, use it alongside the typical dash attack to punish a roll.
- B-reversing off of shield. If you are confronted with a situation in which you and your opponent are at a stalemate, both holding up your shields up right next to each other, you can Chomp after letting your shield down to catch them if they keep their shield up, attack, or even grab. This can be used with a b-reverse, too, a good option if your back is facing your opponent, a good way of throwing them off, too. A problem with this is that you cannot cancel the lag going into a Chomp, so if your opponent reacts quickly enough, they can grab you. Henceforth, you can't become predictable, and must do this carefully; use on occasion, along with simple grabs or spot-dodges most players will expect in such a case.
- B-reversing as a defensive retreat. B-reversing is infinitely more effective for Wario in the air than on ground, as there are many tactics that can be used involving the instantaneous conversion in momentum. One of these is to run back, faking a retreat, jump, and instantly Chomp and b-reverse to end up with a Chomp that essentially propels itself forward for a distance. Your opponent, if they are a rushing character, like Captain Falcon, will likely give pursuit, and if that's the case, they'll have really no time to react as they move forward and Wario suddenly moves back towards them with his mouth wide open, and they can't attack to stop you due to the command-grab's high priority. If your opponent takes the opportunity to back off as well, you obviously won't land the Chomp, but if you cancel the attack immediately, you should be able to escape without be punished, as the Chomp has little ending lag. If your opponent takes the opportunity to fire a projectile, the Chomp will negate it for you, so this maneuver is really safe in most cases. You should watch out for those who may try to close the gap that you try to create by coming at you from above, as you are defenseless while in the Chomp animation from most angles above you. Also, watch out for long-range attacks that Chomp can't negate, like Bowser's fire.
- B-reversing from air onto a grounded opponent. If you are in the air an your opponent is nearby on ground, approach with your back to them. They'll likely expect a b-air, and react in one of three ways: shield and then punish, attack to keep you in air, or roll. If you think they'll shield, get close enough to them where the b-reverse is just in range to capture them, then Chomp, b-reverse, and profit. If you think they'll attack, get close, but allow some leeway for attacks that have long reach or mover the character forward, and b-reverse where appropriate. Since Chomp cancels most attacks, you should be safe and you'll capture them in the command-grab. If your opponent rolls immediately, just be prepared to cancel the Chomp, and you should be safe due to the space they put between the two of you by rolling.
- B-reversing to help you get back to the stage. If your in the uncomfortable position of being in the air and your opponent either coming up to juggle you higher or awaiting your arrival at the ground, you can put some distance between you by taking advantage of the instant momentum conversion, and faking one direction then immediately switching as you approach the ground. Even better, if your opponent reacts inappropriately and tries to come after you from the front after you increase the space, they'll be met by the Chomp. This is relatively safe, as by the time you reach the ground, the ending lag of the Chomp should be over, allowing you to continue the fight from a more comfortable position.
- B-reversing to catch your opponent offstage. Disrespectful as it is, it's just too easy to intercept a generally linear recovery path with an unpredictable maneuver. One trick I find particularly useful for doing this is to dash off the ledge, then instantly Chomp and b-reverse to position Wario's jaws just over the ledge of the stage. This blocks off most recovery paths from lower areas of the offstage region. If you do attempt this, just make sure you have more than one stock left, as when Wario falls with his opponent in his jaws, he receives the fall first.
4. Wavebouncing
While wavebouncing can be particularly effective for many characters that have projectiles, with Wario I find it best just to use a b-reverse or use just a straight up Chomp in most cases. Since Chomp is a command grab, the brief "bounce" of a wavebounce does little good for it and is best just for confusing opponents or making very slight space where it's needed. However, due to the quick start-up and end to the Chomp, you can still pull it off with relative ease without receiving a punish. Against certain characters, it can be effective for a quick bait and punish if they have some high-lag attacks. Just be sure to be as precise as possible, and don't get too comfortable performing these frequently, as skilled opponents will catch on.
