- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
Chapter 1: In a galaxy far, far away.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. A new republic of space animals converged. They became sentient and wise and then they fired Andross and nobody really cared. So It's a long time coming since Melee Fox/Falco. Much has changed, and much has been nerfed. Fox was top tier in Melee and as was Falco and Marth. However since Brawl, spacies have been kind meh. With the inclusion of smash 4, a lot has changed. Falco's BAir has become far less useful so people have been moving back to Fox. Fox, remaining virtually unchanged since Brawl, has a unique advantage. His grabs and lasers have retained while Falco's grabs no longer shoot more than 1 laser aside from his down throw. Falco's grab nerfs weren't the only thing that came about in Smash 4. With the reduction of Falco's BAir hit box, people have noticed a drastic change in how Falco is played. Falco's DAir still meteors however, there's a bit of start-up lag to it and it's become stronger and must be sweet-spotted. I'm not seeing a whole lot of people actually make use of the DAir as it's just as good as it was back in melee, if not slower. Smash 4 also gave our spacies something really unique this time around. You can forward B to your heart's content without risk of dying if you miss. This gives our space cadets higher recovery options. But enough about this. We want some strategies right? Let's get to it.
Chapter 2: Yolo Strats
Say what you want about Fox and Falco, but they have been through a lot in the past 2 games. But as far as strategies are concerned, Fox has the speed so combos are your best friend. Usually, like Shiek, you'll want grabs so you can combo into them. Up throws are usually my go to for combo grabs as they can easily lead into FAirs or UAirs. Falco on the other hand, has a much harder time comboing. Falco must rely on getting FAirs in and nailing up-throws. With the major nerfs has he has received since Brawl, his play style has changed and become much more patient. Gimping is now more a viable option than ever for Falco as his overall ability to nail combos has almost completely been removed. Down throws no longer lead into chain grabs forcing your only option to be a dash attack. Back throw, while no longer carries 2 lasers, can be used to kill at moderate to high percents. BAirs will once again play an important role in Falco's overall ability to kill. As far as combos are concerned in general, Falco has almost no combos except those involved off stage aka gimping. For Fox, a general strategy is just to grab and nail aerials. Falco does not have that luxury so he must rely on a different strategy. And a lot of that involves Up throws and BAirs/FAirs.
Chapter 3: Overall comments
Fox is almost always a go to for a lot of people and I don't blame them. Falco is not ideal to use in Smash 4, but it's a viable option. I suppose it really comes down to your play style. If you're not big on combos, go Falco, and if you really like nailing those fast hits in, Fox is your man. Falco also has a better reflector than Fox allowing for faster reaction times and easier handling. But aside from the reflector, Falco is still a difficult character to use in my opinion due to his slow speed and lack of combo potential. Falco performs best in the air and while it's all fine and dandy, the lack of laser game that is allowed for him hurts him more than it helps. Since his lasers fire faster in the air than on the ground, I feel that his laser game has diminished greatly since Brawl. While his lasers came out the same in ground and air back then, he was still fast enough to be able to do certain things and give players decent combos. And while I can't offer any actual combo advice for Falco, this video segment may help.
It's fairly short and only offers one combo. However, I think any combo that Falco can get is great considering how limited his combo options are.
Chapter 4: Overall match-ups
Fox has great match-ups due to his speed and can usually overcome almost any opponent if you play safely but aggressively. So for the sake of the following Falco match-ups (and I won't include everyone like I did with Marth) your results may vary.
Vs. Top tier characters
Diddy Kong - Diddy's speed can easily overcome Falco's low speed. Which means, you're going to need to improvise in dealing with him. Frame traps are a good way to deal with Diddy as we as nailing those up throws into plausible combos.
Shiek - Shiek is an interesting character to fight against Falco and while the reflector will help in dealing with those pesky needles, Shiek's strength comes in the form of grabs and combos. This tends to be a little harder to manage because of the reads Shiek players can make to counter your general strategies. And with Falco's low speeds, it's even harder to keep Shiek at bay. You're going to have to outplay your opponent because you can't outrun them.
Rosalina - RosaLuma is probably one of the worst match-ups in my opinion just because Rosalina has access to a lot of Luma plays that can easily shut down Falco players. Her side B if sent out past the edge can easily spray star bits gimping your recovery. Rosalina also has easier access to combos than Falco and Luma can act as a shield against your lasers. Play smart and focus on Rosalina.
Yoshi - This is by far Falco's worst match-up. Yoshi's speed gives him a unique advantage over both Fox and Falco and while Fox can bait with his lasers, Falco cannot. This match-up will force you to get in close to Yoshi which, ironically, poses even more problems when fighting Yoshi. Yoshi's melee capabilities have been buffed quite a bit making him a lightning bruiser of sorts in Smash 4. You will need everything you know to beat Yoshi.
Vs. High Tier.
Lucario - Falco's strength usually works for him, however with Lucario, it's a different story. The more you pound Lucario, the greater the risk of dying. Lucario players are notorious for nailing fast grabs and FAirs to keep you on your toes. However, Lucario lacks any viable options for combos much like Falco. Unlike Falco, however, Lucario hits harder with each hit he takes. Your best option is to gimp.
Little Mac - Mac and Luc are uniquely bad match-ups vs. Falco as they have the power to overcome Falco's abilities. Gimping mac is easy, however for higher level play, Mac becomes harder to gimp forcing you to take him off the stage completely. This becomes problematic in mid to late game as Mac will probably have rage making him even more deadly than before. I would advise you gimp, but it would depend on the player.
Sonic - Sonic's air control and speed make him ideal for destroying Falco players. Speed allows him to get in for fast grabs and combo options. His air control greatly counters Falco's air control ability, to beat sonic, you'll have to make reads and be smart about your moves.
Captain Falcon - Falcon is as fast as he was in Melee, making him one of the more dangerous characters against Falco. His grabs and NAirs will keep you on your toes and his knee will kill much faster. To beat Falcon, you must be consistent with reads and grabs. It's the only way to ensure that Falcon cannot maintain a foothold on the stage.
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These are just a few pieces of advice for Falco. Fox has a more consistent way of beating each of these characters that can be explored by yourself.
Chapter 5: Final Evaluation
Falco and Fox both have great strengths and weaknesses, these will play a key part in the play style for both characters. Fox's combos net him as one of the better characters and ensuring a spot in high tier. Falco, in Japan's eyes is terrible and considered bottom tier. Falco was mid tier in Brawl, I think it's time we brought back our spacies for the world to see. This is Grass for Fox and Falco, over and out.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. A new republic of space animals converged. They became sentient and wise and then they fired Andross and nobody really cared. So It's a long time coming since Melee Fox/Falco. Much has changed, and much has been nerfed. Fox was top tier in Melee and as was Falco and Marth. However since Brawl, spacies have been kind meh. With the inclusion of smash 4, a lot has changed. Falco's BAir has become far less useful so people have been moving back to Fox. Fox, remaining virtually unchanged since Brawl, has a unique advantage. His grabs and lasers have retained while Falco's grabs no longer shoot more than 1 laser aside from his down throw. Falco's grab nerfs weren't the only thing that came about in Smash 4. With the reduction of Falco's BAir hit box, people have noticed a drastic change in how Falco is played. Falco's DAir still meteors however, there's a bit of start-up lag to it and it's become stronger and must be sweet-spotted. I'm not seeing a whole lot of people actually make use of the DAir as it's just as good as it was back in melee, if not slower. Smash 4 also gave our spacies something really unique this time around. You can forward B to your heart's content without risk of dying if you miss. This gives our space cadets higher recovery options. But enough about this. We want some strategies right? Let's get to it.
Chapter 2: Yolo Strats
Say what you want about Fox and Falco, but they have been through a lot in the past 2 games. But as far as strategies are concerned, Fox has the speed so combos are your best friend. Usually, like Shiek, you'll want grabs so you can combo into them. Up throws are usually my go to for combo grabs as they can easily lead into FAirs or UAirs. Falco on the other hand, has a much harder time comboing. Falco must rely on getting FAirs in and nailing up-throws. With the major nerfs has he has received since Brawl, his play style has changed and become much more patient. Gimping is now more a viable option than ever for Falco as his overall ability to nail combos has almost completely been removed. Down throws no longer lead into chain grabs forcing your only option to be a dash attack. Back throw, while no longer carries 2 lasers, can be used to kill at moderate to high percents. BAirs will once again play an important role in Falco's overall ability to kill. As far as combos are concerned in general, Falco has almost no combos except those involved off stage aka gimping. For Fox, a general strategy is just to grab and nail aerials. Falco does not have that luxury so he must rely on a different strategy. And a lot of that involves Up throws and BAirs/FAirs.
Chapter 3: Overall comments
Fox is almost always a go to for a lot of people and I don't blame them. Falco is not ideal to use in Smash 4, but it's a viable option. I suppose it really comes down to your play style. If you're not big on combos, go Falco, and if you really like nailing those fast hits in, Fox is your man. Falco also has a better reflector than Fox allowing for faster reaction times and easier handling. But aside from the reflector, Falco is still a difficult character to use in my opinion due to his slow speed and lack of combo potential. Falco performs best in the air and while it's all fine and dandy, the lack of laser game that is allowed for him hurts him more than it helps. Since his lasers fire faster in the air than on the ground, I feel that his laser game has diminished greatly since Brawl. While his lasers came out the same in ground and air back then, he was still fast enough to be able to do certain things and give players decent combos. And while I can't offer any actual combo advice for Falco, this video segment may help.
It's fairly short and only offers one combo. However, I think any combo that Falco can get is great considering how limited his combo options are.
Chapter 4: Overall match-ups
Fox has great match-ups due to his speed and can usually overcome almost any opponent if you play safely but aggressively. So for the sake of the following Falco match-ups (and I won't include everyone like I did with Marth) your results may vary.
Vs. Top tier characters
Diddy Kong - Diddy's speed can easily overcome Falco's low speed. Which means, you're going to need to improvise in dealing with him. Frame traps are a good way to deal with Diddy as we as nailing those up throws into plausible combos.
Shiek - Shiek is an interesting character to fight against Falco and while the reflector will help in dealing with those pesky needles, Shiek's strength comes in the form of grabs and combos. This tends to be a little harder to manage because of the reads Shiek players can make to counter your general strategies. And with Falco's low speeds, it's even harder to keep Shiek at bay. You're going to have to outplay your opponent because you can't outrun them.
Rosalina - RosaLuma is probably one of the worst match-ups in my opinion just because Rosalina has access to a lot of Luma plays that can easily shut down Falco players. Her side B if sent out past the edge can easily spray star bits gimping your recovery. Rosalina also has easier access to combos than Falco and Luma can act as a shield against your lasers. Play smart and focus on Rosalina.
Yoshi - This is by far Falco's worst match-up. Yoshi's speed gives him a unique advantage over both Fox and Falco and while Fox can bait with his lasers, Falco cannot. This match-up will force you to get in close to Yoshi which, ironically, poses even more problems when fighting Yoshi. Yoshi's melee capabilities have been buffed quite a bit making him a lightning bruiser of sorts in Smash 4. You will need everything you know to beat Yoshi.
Vs. High Tier.
Lucario - Falco's strength usually works for him, however with Lucario, it's a different story. The more you pound Lucario, the greater the risk of dying. Lucario players are notorious for nailing fast grabs and FAirs to keep you on your toes. However, Lucario lacks any viable options for combos much like Falco. Unlike Falco, however, Lucario hits harder with each hit he takes. Your best option is to gimp.
Little Mac - Mac and Luc are uniquely bad match-ups vs. Falco as they have the power to overcome Falco's abilities. Gimping mac is easy, however for higher level play, Mac becomes harder to gimp forcing you to take him off the stage completely. This becomes problematic in mid to late game as Mac will probably have rage making him even more deadly than before. I would advise you gimp, but it would depend on the player.
Sonic - Sonic's air control and speed make him ideal for destroying Falco players. Speed allows him to get in for fast grabs and combo options. His air control greatly counters Falco's air control ability, to beat sonic, you'll have to make reads and be smart about your moves.
Captain Falcon - Falcon is as fast as he was in Melee, making him one of the more dangerous characters against Falco. His grabs and NAirs will keep you on your toes and his knee will kill much faster. To beat Falcon, you must be consistent with reads and grabs. It's the only way to ensure that Falcon cannot maintain a foothold on the stage.
________________________________________
These are just a few pieces of advice for Falco. Fox has a more consistent way of beating each of these characters that can be explored by yourself.
Chapter 5: Final Evaluation
Falco and Fox both have great strengths and weaknesses, these will play a key part in the play style for both characters. Fox's combos net him as one of the better characters and ensuring a spot in high tier. Falco, in Japan's eyes is terrible and considered bottom tier. Falco was mid tier in Brawl, I think it's time we brought back our spacies for the world to see. This is Grass for Fox and Falco, over and out.
