Weekly Character Showcase: Shulk

Welcome back to another edition of Weekly Character Showcase! This is a series where we analyze the playable characters in Smash 4 and what they can do with both general and character-specific advanced techniques.

This time, it's the turn of the winner of last week's poll, the newcomer Shulk! For this week's article, we requested the help of the Shulk Discord, as well as Aether Esports's very own Tremendo Dude, a premier Shulk player.

Shulk is a very interesting character because of his unique neutral special. He can change his playstyle however he wishes. For this reason, there's no "right way" to play Shulk, with many players having different play styles. "The way I personally play depends on my opponent for the most part. I try to force openings or discourage approaches," notes TremendoDude.

General ATs

While Shulk doesn't get a lot from Perfect Pivots, his speed art has the longest PP length of the entire cast, and can use it in conjunction with tilts to set a barrier around him.
Also, his B-reverse window is unique, in the sense that he can only B-reverse after the art has activated. Because of this, the timing is very strict. But, a player named ArtAtk discovered that if you perform a modified perfect pivot input (sliding the stick in the upper diagonal instead of left and right), it's easier to B-reverse.

Character-specific

Here's where it gets interesting. Shulk's ATs all make use of the Monado Arts and his unique properties, the first and most common of which is called MALLC (Monado Arts Landing Lag Cancel). "When Shulk activates his arts, he performs a pose which is intangible for 14 frames and can be acted out of starting frame 6. When the pose is activated, it cancels all landing lag from aerials and airdodges." To make use of the lag cancel, Shulk has to activate the Monado Art at the right time, so he can land exactly when the art activates, cancelling his lag. Using this property alongside the MADC (Monado Art Dash Cancel) allowsShulk to interrupt his dash with the intangibility frames and perform any standing action, such as tilts or dash dancing.

Now, we get to look at Shulk's most interesting AT: The Buffered Art Deactivation (MABD)
By deactivating the art while Shulk is in a position where he cannot normally deactivate it, he keeps all of the art's buff, while losing the weaknesses.
This is the backbone of many techniques in Shulk's arsenal. For example, by using the reduced knockback of the Buster art, he gainsaccess to a kill confirm out of his neutral air. While highly situational, it can be used to surprise the opponent if he/she does not know about this technique.
He also gets more mileage out of his grabs, including a true combo using the speed art at low percents and a 50/50 using the increased jump height from Jump.

Jayroach's tutorial about the Art's activation​

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Well, that's all for today! If you enjoyed this week's showcase, be sure to stay tuned. Also, if you wanna know more about Shulk, you can visit the character boards and the Discord channel. They say that they're developing some new secret tech!
And of course, big shoutouts to TremendoDude and the Shulk Discord, who helped a lot with the article. You can show your support by rocking the ←/ tag. We will be back next week!

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Did you like the article? Let us know in the comments below! Don't forget to vote for next week's character!

 

Yeah, Shulk!
Shulk has a lot of cool things going for him, but he's definitely difficult enough to play at a high level to say that he still has some more "secret tech" to be found.

 

One day, we'll discover the secret of the Monado's Power. Thanks for the great article!

 

Thanks for the article nova! There are way more techs in shulks Arsenal
The secret tech is gonna be worth learning tho

 

Welcome back to another edition of Weekly Character Showcase! This is a series where we analyze the playable characters in Smash 4 and what they can do with both general and character-specific advanced techniques.

This time, it's the turn of the winner of last week's poll, the newcomer Shulk! For this week's article, we requested the help of the Shulk Discord, as well as Aether Esports's very own Tremendo Dude, a premier Shulk player.

Shulk is a very interesting character because of his unique neutral special. He can change his playstyle however he wishes. For this reason, there's no "right way" to play Shulk, with many players having different play styles. "The way I personally play depends on my opponent for the most part. I try to force openings or discourage approaches," notes TremendoDude.

General ATs

While Shulk doesn't get a lot from Perfect Pivots, his speed art has the longest PP length of the entire cast, and can use it in conjunction with tilts to set a barrier around him.
Also, his B-reverse window is unique, in the sense that he can only B-reverse after the art has activated. Because of this, the timing is very strict. But, a player named ArtAtk discovered that if you perform a modified perfect pivot input (sliding the stick in the upper diagonal instead of left and right), it's easier to B-reverse.

Character-specific

Here's where it gets interesting. Shulk's ATs all make use of the Monado Arts and his unique properties, the first and most common of which is called MALLC (Monado Arts Landing Lag Cancel). "When Shulk activates his arts, he performs a pose which is intangible for 14 frames and can be acted out of starting frame 6. When the pose is activated, it cancels all landing lag from aerials and airdodges." To make use of the lag cancel, Shulk has to activate the Monado Art at the right time, so he can land exactly when the art activates, cancelling his lag. Using this property alongside the MADC (Monado Art Dash Cancel) allowsShulk to interrupt his dash with the intangibility frames and perform any standing action, such as tilts or dash dancing.

Now, we get to look at Shulk's most interesting AT: The Buffered Art Deactivation (MABD)
By deactivating the art while Shulk is in a position where he cannot normally deactivate it, he keeps all of the art's buff, while losing the weaknesses.
This is the backbone of many techniques in Shulk's arsenal. For example, by using the reduced knockback of the Buster art, he gainsaccess to a kill confirm out of his neutral air. While highly situational, it can be used to surprise the opponent if he/she does not know about this technique.
He also gets more mileage out of his grabs, including a true combo using the speed art at low percents and a 50/50 using the increased jump height from Jump.

Jayroach's tutorial about the Art's activation​

​

Well, that's all for today! If you enjoyed this week's showcase, be sure to stay tuned. Also, if you wanna know more about Shulk, you can visit the character boards and the Discord channel. They say that they're developing some new secret tech!
And of course, big shoutouts to TremendoDude and the Shulk Discord, who helped a lot with the article. You can show your support by rocking the ←/ tag. We will be back next week!

---​

Did you like the article? Let us know in the comments below! Don't forget to vote for next week's character!

very helpful since shulk is my main

 

Shulk seems to be gettin a lot of front page time recently

 

Ban Shulk pls

 

Shulk time too OP

 

I wanted Lucario to be an option to vote... Lucario needs more love

 

Thanks for the article Nova, I love it !!!
This is the potential of Shulk ^^

 

I wanted Lucario to be an option to vote... Lucario needs more love

Agreed. (But his dair tho)

 

Haven't played Sm4sh in a while, this is useful information. I really like the deactivation MA to keep benefits and getting rid of the weaknesses. Should prove to be quite helpful.

 

Does the buffer deactivated MA lack of drawback last that long? The video only shows enough time to get in some combos, not abusing for neutral game (or whatever, because Shulk things) benefits without drawbacks.

l always wanted to learn Shulk...

 

Do these techniques apply to Kirby as well?

 

Does these techniques apply to Kurby as well?

Only Shulkirby.

 

Only Shulkirby.

Oh. Good. MUST TEST THIS OUT WITH SHULKIRBY.

 

Oh. Good. MUST TEST THIS OUT WITH SHULKIRBY.

Good luck, monadoball!

 

Shulk is cool, I dont understand why people derate him so much.

 

We must...unlock the Monado's power.

Shulk is cool, I dont understand why people derate him so much.

Because people are constantly using the "Now it's Shulk time," and "I'm really feeling it memes." In my opinion, Reyn is so much more memetic as well as Metal Face.
Also, I wish I were a Shulk main, because I would walk into a room and yell "I'll smash you up!"

 

One day, we'll discover the secret of the Monado's Power. Thanks for the great article!

Until that day, we'll press on and on and on!

 

Shuck wuz always coolz ^_^ tis video really inspired me a bit moar ta train wit em thx m8!

 

Shulk is the entire reason someone should make PM for Wii U.

Think about it.

 

Shulk is a character that I am quite interested in, but he's also very technical and difficult at a higher level. Maybe one of these days.

 

It's crazy how good Shulks can manage their Monado arts so smoothly. I'd love to see that at a top level.
ZeRo, why did that have to be an April Fools trick earlier...