Super Smash Bros. series
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Advanced technique

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Fox performing multiple waveshines in Melee.
Fox's waveshine in Melee is an advanced technique that requires considerable technical skill to perform.
Falco DACUS gif for the DACUS page
The DACUS is a well-known advanced technique in Brawl.
An icon for denoting incomplete things.

An advanced technique is an action or series of actions that are complex and/or technically demanding enough to require a considerable amount of skill, which results in a benefit to the metagame of a character.

Advanced techniques mainly differ from standard techniques in that their presence was not directly mentioned in any official capacity prior to release, usually due to not being discovered or expected to be a big deal by the game's designers. This often manifests itself in the form of advanced techniques being results of oversights or glitches, such as wavedashing and momentum cancelling. In the broader context of video games in general, their use is an example of what is known as emergent gameplay. A strong or properly-applied advanced technique can radically alter a character's metagame - for example, the short hop fast fall l-cancel provides a significant speed boost to a player's aerial assault and helps to patch up holes in slower characters' offenses. Certain characters rely heavily on their specific advanced techniques, such as the Ice Climbers' chain grabs and desynching techniques, and Fox's waveshine combos in Melee. Reliance of these techniques to shape top-level metagames and their often dubious origins is a common source of discontent among new and casual players.

List of advanced techniques[edit]

A list of techniques that are notably difficult to perform/require precise technical skill.

Name SSB SSBM SSBB SSB4 SSBU
Attack cancel short hop aerial No No No No Yes
Autolanding No No Yes No No
B-reversing No No Yes Yes Yes
Bat dropping No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Bidou No No No Yes No
Boost grab No Yes Yes Yes Yes
C-Bouncing No No No Yes Yes
Chain grab Yes Yes Yes No No
COIL No No No No Yes
Dash attack cancelled up smash No No Yes No No
Dash cancel Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dash pivot cancel No No Yes No No
Dash-dancing Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Directional influence No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Drop cancel Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Edge dashing Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Edge hopping Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Footstool down aerial airdodge No No No No Yes
Fox-trotting Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Frame cancelling No No No Yes No
Glide toss No Yes Yes No No
Hilldash No No Yes Yes Yes
Jab cancel Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Jab reset No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Jump cancel throw No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Jump-canceled grab No Yes No No No
Jump-cancelling Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
L-cancelling Yes Yes No No No
Ledge-cancelling Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Ledge DI Yes No No No No
Jab cancel Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Lock No No Yes Yes Yes
Mindgame Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Momentum cancelling No No Yes No No
Momentum slide Yes No No No No
Moonwalk No Yes No No No
Powershield No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Pivoting Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Platform cancel Yes No Yes No No
Power shield canceling No No Yes No No
Reverse aerial rush No No Yes Yes Yes
Shield break combo Yes Yes No No No
Shield platform dropping Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Shield-stop Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Short hop air dodge No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Short hop fast fall l-cancel No Yes No No No
Slingshot No No No Yes Yes
Smash directional influence Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Softhop No No Yes Yes Yes
Stage humping No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Step dashing No No No Yes No
Sticky edge jump No No No No Yes
Taunt cancelling Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Team wobble Yes Yes Yes No No
Teching Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Tech-chasing Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Teleport Yes No No No No
V-cancelling No Yes No No No
Wall jump cancel ledge grab No No No No Yes
Wavedash No Yes No No Yes
Zero-to-death combo Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

List of character-specific advanced techniques[edit]

A list of advanced techniques that can only be performed by one or a few characters.

Mario[edit]

Donkey Kong[edit]

Link[edit]

Samus[edit]

Yoshi[edit]

Fox[edit]

Pikachu[edit]

Luigi[edit]

Ness[edit]

Captain Falcon[edit]

Peach[edit]

Bowser[edit]

Ice Climbers[edit]

Sheik[edit]

Zelda[edit]

Dr. Mario[edit]

Falco[edit]

Marth[edit]

Young Link[edit]

Ganondorf[edit]

Mewtwo[edit]

Roy[edit]

Mr. Game & Watch[edit]

Meta Knight[edit]

Pit[edit]

Zero Suit Samus[edit]

Wario[edit]

Pokémon Trainer[edit]

Squirtle[edit]

Charizard[edit]

Diddy Kong[edit]

Lucas[edit]

Sonic[edit]

Olimar[edit]

R.O.B.[edit]

Toon Link[edit]

Villager[edit]

Mega Man[edit]

Wii Fit Trainer[edit]

Little Mac[edit]

Rosalina and Luma[edit]

Greninja[edit]

Mii Gunner[edit]

Pac-Man[edit]

Robin[edit]

Shulk[edit]

Ryu / Ken[edit]

Cloud[edit]

Inkling[edit]

Simon/Richter[edit]

King K. Rool[edit]

Isabelle[edit]

Piranha Plant[edit]

Joker[edit]

Banjo & Kazooie[edit]

Terry[edit]

Steve[edit]

Pyra / Mythra[edit]

Kazuya[edit]

In competitive play[edit]

Advanced techniques are an integral aspect of high-level play and are sometimes essential for survival in a tournament. While the actual practicality and effectiveness of each technique vary wildly, knowing how to use them is still considered beneficial. As evidenced by older tier lists, some characters' standings in the metagame can rise significantly whenever a new piece of tech that revolutionizes how they play is discovered.

That being said, reliance on these techniques is a source of controversy, particularly with low-level competitors and casual players. Some raise concern that those without knowledge of these techniques are at an inherent disadvantage while playing. Depending on specific situations, some might be physically incapable of performing some popular techniques, which is not necessarily fair. Some also claim that using these techniques "breaks the rules" of the game by not typically being intended gameplay mechanics, and a banning of nearly every technique has been debated at some point for these reasons. While there have been some extreme examples like wobbling being banned due to being degeneratlely over-powered, most are not nearly at that level. Also, mastering these techniques are not required to be successful at a competitive level; they simply provide advantages and sometimes become core gameplay features of other games, which is why most are allowed to be used without restriction.