Meta Knight's D-Cape as a dodge tool.

[Ulevo]

So I don't know how many of you guys have noticed this or caught on to it. I sort of want confirmation so I know it's not me imagining it since I don't think we have frame data to currently work with yet. After using Meta Knight, I feel like his dimensional cape has been altered from Brawl, specifically the duration where he is invulnerable feels longer. In Brawl, I could dodge attacks with it, but the timing was tight and very risky. I wouldn't say it feels free now, but it feels like a relatively decent option to use compared to before.

What are your thoughts on it. Am I losing it or have people noticed this too. Also I haven't tried it, I'm assuming it's gone, but is his IDC still there?

 

[Blaziking17]

After using Meta Knight, I feel like his dimensional cape has been altered from Brawl, specifically the duration where he is invulnerable feels longer. In Brawl, I could dodge attacks with it, but the timing was tight and very risky. I wouldn't say it feels free now, but it feels like a relatively decent option to use compared to before.

I believe so as well. His Dim Cape does seem to have more invincibility frames than in Brawl, as well as more damage output. I mean, it's one of the few kill options MK has these days.

As for IDC, either it hasn't been found yet, or it's really not in the game. I'm going to say it's the latter possibility as I haven't read anything regarding IDC from 3DS version or Wii U version.

 

[Float SSB]

from what I have watched, I have a heavier usage of DCape than most metaknight players. You definitely stay vanished for a long time. The startup feels longer than Brawl but I feel like I have a ton of time to steer the new cape.

I use it all the time while recovering. If someone jumps out over the edge to hit me I will most likely DCape with no attack through them and take the stage. This now puts me in a position to edgeguard them. It makes for a great reversal in this regard.

on of my other uses is for punishing laggy moves, even ones that are "correctly" spaced. This is really a big part of metaknights strength in a ton of matchups. I practice against a really good DDD player and he is completely conditioned now to never even try to throw a gordo if I am within cape range because you can punish it on reaction. When we first started playing I was able to DCape him everytime he tried.

Another great use is recovering to hit them. For w/e reason when you are hanging on the edge players like to throw out moves trying to "read" your recovery from the ledge and you can often just ledge release into DCape to punish this kind of behavior.

My favorite use, however, is basically using it like a counter. Someone is running right at me I can probably assume they will either grab or dash attack. I usually just DCape in place and it covers both options. Sometimes a player who has seen the trick before might roll backwards. If you waited really late to Cape you can sometimes react and either hold towards them and hit them anyway or release B and do the much less laggy no attack cape and end up with a reset situation.

 

[Rockin]

MK's new DC feels off to me. I really don't like it. I remember using it a lot (for movement purposes). Whenever I'm on the ledge at Battle Field, I'd be able to appear from the ledge to the bottom platform (but that's if I near perfect time it. The game registered you doing the DC on the ledge as if you're standing, so you don't drop slightly during the start up.

Unfortunately in Smash 4, they removed that effect on the ledge. I believe he's invincible a few frames when he reappears. It's also more of a Kill move now (but it's still a 'Risk for reward' sort of move). It's generally better in smash 4, but I personally don't like it now lol.

 

[Float SSB]

I believe he's invincible a few frames when he reappears. It's also more of a Kill move now (but it's still a 'Risk for reward' sort of move). It's generally better in smash 4, but I personally don't like it now lol.

If anything, he is tangible BEFORE he reappears. I have been hit numerous times by lasting hitboxes before MK is even done reappearing yet. It is quite frustrating.

 

[Katakiri]

If anything, he is tangible BEFORE he reappears. I have been hit numerous times by lasting hitboxes before MK is even done reappearing yet. It is quite frustrating.

You're both right.

He becomes tangible before he appears if you press or hold B for a Slash.
If you just cape without the slash, he's intangible until his flourishes his cape (when he loses momentum entirely) at the very end of his re-appearing animation.

I also learned that he's intangible a few frames before he disappears on start-up. Honestly, by frame advancing in training mode, I'd say he's only vulnerable until frame 3 or 4.

It's very easy to test invincibility with a Bumper item in training mode.

Edit: It's frame 4 intangibility on start-up as far as I can tell.

As far as uses goes, I really like cape as a landing option. It's like an extremely exaggerated version of wave landing in that it gives MK a safe mix-up to go from air to ground in a game where landing is never safe. One of the many reasons I think MK feels/plays like a SSBM character in this game.

 

[Lavani]

@ Katakiri I'm not entirely sure what your intangibility tests are looking like on your end, but I'm getting hit on frame 11 starting cape near a smart bomb explosion (vanish is on frame 13). I can confirm the intangibility lasting after reappearing if you don't attack though.

 

[Katakiri]

Hmm. That might just mean bumper is unreliable then. I was using momentum to collide with bumper and was able to pass through it starting on frame 4. Smart Bomb was just hard to time due to the growing explosion so I went with Bumper instead. I definitely trust actual hitboxes more than whatever bumper uses.

 

[Float SSB]

You're both right.

He becomes tangible before he appears if you press or hold B for a Slash.
If you just cape without the slash, he's intangible until his flourishes his cape (when he loses momentum entirely) at the very end of his re-appearing animation.

I also learned that he's intangible a few frames before he disappears on start-up. Honestly, by frame advancing in training mode, I'd say he's only vulnerable until frame 3 or 4.

It's very easy to test invincibility with a Bumper item in training mode.

Edit: It's frame 4 intangibility on start-up as far as I can tell.

As far as uses goes, I really like cape as a landing option. It's like an extremely exaggerated version of wave landing in that it gives MK a safe mix-up to go from air to ground in a game where landing is never safe. One of the many reasons I think MK feels/plays like a SSBM character in this game.

Thanks for the research!

MK is the one character that I never worry about where or how I will recover/land. He rivals sheik in terms of movement options the major difference being that he cant combine his major horizontal options with his vertical ones like sheik can with bouncing fish + vanish.