Falco (SSBM)

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==In [[competitive play]]==

===Tier placement and history===

Throughout the ''Melee'' tier lists, Falco has always been in the high/top tiers along with {{SSBM|Fox}} and {{SSBM|Sheik}}, with his lowest position being fifth place. In the beginning of ''Melee''{{'}}s metagame, Falco players had not yet discovered his strong combo potential. As such, they relied only on zoning out the opponent with his [[Blaster]] in the [[neutral game]], while largely ignoring his punish game. While this defensive style of play was reasonably effective and gave Falco the results he needed to stay in the high tiers, Falco was widely considered to be not only inferior to Fox, but to other top tiers such as Sheik and {{SSBM|Marth}} as well, as those characters' metagames were advancing faster than his.

However, this perception changed drastically after the [[Jack Garden Tournament]], where players worldwide were introduced to {{Sm|Bombsoldier}} and his extremely aggressive interpretation of what was once considered a purely defensive character. Falco players soon realized that their approach to the character was suboptimal, and began implementing many of Bombsoldier's strategies into their own game. In turn, Falco's results began improving dramatically. New Falco mains, most notably {{Sm|PC Chris}}, soon began pushing him to levels of play exceeding that of even Bombsoldier's. PC Chris was even able to win some of the most prestigious tournaments at the time, proving that Falco had all the tools to succeed and come out on top at the highest level of play.

With PC Chris retiring soon after ''Brawl'' was released in 2008, and with the concurrent rise of {{Sm|KoreanDJ}} and {{Sm|Mew2King}} (who both played Fox, among other characters), Falco saw a dip in popularity for a brief period of time. There was noticeable debate over his position at 2nd on the tier list, and he fell to 4th in a 2008 revision. However, his metagame was revitalized by new world class players, such as {{Sm|Mango}}, {{Sm|PPMD}}, {{Sm|Westballz}}, and {{Sm|DaShizWiz}}, who all gave Falco results at the top level once again. Falco players continued to place extremely well, and for some time until 2014, even won more large tournaments than Fox players. This led some players at the time, [http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/may/08/if-final-destination-was-only-stage-melee-marth-would-be-best-character-mew2kings-top-5-super-smash-bros-tier-list-pt3/ such as Mew2King], to believe that Falco was a better character than Fox, with the argument that Falco succeeds in notable tournaments more consistently than Fox, while Fox's perceived superiority was based more on potential than performance.

However, since then, there have been very few majors, if any, won by a Falco main; Fox players have since taken 1st place in many more majors, even in PAL. This is mainly due to {{Sm|PPMD}}'s hiatus, the rise of Fox mains such as {{Sm|Leffen}}, and more top players electing to pick Fox in high-level tournament matches for his superior matchups against [[floaty]] characters. The Falco counterplay metagame has also advanced considerably, as professionals have greatly improved their [[DI]] and [[powershielding]] skills that make it much harder for Falco players to win the neutral game and combo opponents. As such, Falco is ranked 4th on the thirteenth and current tier list.

====PAL viability====

Like several other characters who, by coincidence, would years later be known to be top tier, Falco was nerfed in the PAL version of ''Melee''. His powerful down aerial spike now only has the spike hitbox during the first 10 frames of the move, while the weaker hitbox sends opponents on the [[Sakurai angle]] instead. This makes timing Falco's down aerial more key to success in tournament play. However, this nerf does not significantly affect him, as most Falco professionals train to hit with the strong hitbox anyway, and the duration of said hitbox is still enough to approach the enemy with it and wear down shields. Thus, Falco's viability in PAL is more or less the same as in NTSC, barring a slightly easier matchup against {{SSBM|Fox}} due to Fox's own nerfs in that version.

===Notable players===

{{cleanup|[[SmashWiki:Cleanup of the Notable Players sections|To fit these guidelines]]}}

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*{{Sm|Zhu|USA}} - The recipient of the famous [[Wombo Combo]], Zhu was one of the best Falco players in the post-MLG era, notably defeating {{Sm|Mew2King}} at the first {{Trn|GENESIS}}. Ranked 66th on the [[2017 SSBMRank]], and competed actively before retiring after {{Trn|EVO 2018}}.

*{{Sm|Zorc|Norway}} - Formerly ranked 1st in [[Norwegian Power Rankings|Norway]].

~~===Tier placement and history===~~

Throughout the ''Melee'' tier lists, Falco has always been in the high/top tiers along with {{SSBM|Fox}} and {{SSBM|Sheik}}, with his lowest position being fifth place. In the beginning of ''Melee''{{'}}s metagame, Falco players had not yet discovered his strong combo potential. As such, they relied only on zoning out the opponent with his [[Blaster]] in the [[neutral game]], while largely ignoring his punish game. While this defensive style of play was reasonably effective and gave Falco the results he needed to stay in the high tiers, Falco was widely considered to be not only inferior to Fox, but to other top tiers such as Sheik and {{SSBM|Marth}} as well, as those characters' metagames were advancing faster than his.

However, this perception changed drastically after the [[Jack Garden Tournament]], where players worldwide were introduced to {{Sm|Bombsoldier}} and his extremely aggressive interpretation of what was once considered a purely defensive character. Falco players soon realized that their approach to the character was suboptimal, and began implementing many of Bombsoldier's strategies into their own game. In turn, Falco's results began improving dramatically. New Falco mains, most notably {{Sm|PC Chris}}, soon began pushing him to levels of play exceeding that of even Bombsoldier's. PC Chris was even able to win some of the most prestigious tournaments at the time, proving that Falco had all the tools to succeed and come out on top at the highest level of play.

With PC Chris retiring soon after ''Brawl'' was released in 2008, and with the concurrent rise of {{Sm|KoreanDJ}} and {{Sm|Mew2King}} (who both played Fox, among other characters), Falco saw a dip in popularity for a brief period of time. There was noticeable debate over his position at 2nd on the tier list, and he fell to 4th in a 2008 revision. However, his metagame was revitalized by new world class players, such as {{Sm|Mango}}, {{Sm|PPMD}}, {{Sm|Westballz}}, and {{Sm|DaShizWiz}}, who all gave Falco results at the top level once again. Falco players continued to place extremely well, and for some time until 2014, even won more large tournaments than Fox players. This led some players at the time, [http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/may/08/if-final-destination-was-only-stage-melee-marth-would-be-best-character-mew2kings-top-5-super-smash-bros-tier-list-pt3/ such as Mew2King], to believe that Falco was a better character than Fox, with the argument that Falco succeeds in notable tournaments more consistently than Fox, while Fox's perceived superiority was based more on potential than performance.

However, since then, there have been very few majors, if any, won by a Falco main; Fox players have since taken 1st place in many more majors, even in PAL. This is mainly due to {{Sm|PPMD}}'s hiatus, the rise of Fox mains such as {{Sm|Leffen}}, and more top players electing to pick Fox in high-level tournament matches for his superior matchups against [[floaty]] characters. The Falco counterplay metagame has also advanced considerably, as professionals have greatly improved their [[DI]] and [[powershielding]] skills that make it much harder for Falco players to win the neutral game and combo opponents. As such, Falco is ranked 4th on the thirteenth and current tier list.

~~====PAL viability====~~

Like several other characters who, by coincidence, would years later be known to be top tier, Falco was nerfed in the PAL version of ''Melee''. His powerful down aerial spike now only has the spike hitbox during the first 10 frames of the move, while the weaker hitbox sends opponents on the [[Sakurai angle]] instead. This makes timing Falco's down aerial more key to success in tournament play. However, this nerf does not significantly affect him, as most Falco professionals train to hit with the strong hitbox anyway, and the duration of said hitbox is still enough to approach the enemy with it and wear down shields. Thus, Falco's viability in PAL is more or less the same as in NTSC, barring a slightly easier matchup against {{SSBM|Fox}} due to Fox's own nerfs in that version.

==In 1-P Mode==

Falco (SSBM): Difference between revisions

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@@ Line 273: / Line 273: @@
 ==In [[competitive play]]==
+===Tier placement and history===
+Throughout the ''Melee'' tier lists, Falco has always been in the high/top tiers along with {{SSBM|Fox}} and {{SSBM|Sheik}}, with his lowest position being fifth place. In the beginning of ''Melee''{{'}}s metagame, Falco players had not yet discovered his strong combo potential. As such, they relied only on zoning out the opponent with his [[Blaster]] in the [[neutral game]], while largely ignoring his punish game. While this defensive style of play was reasonably effective and gave Falco the results he needed to stay in the high tiers, Falco was widely considered to be not only inferior to Fox, but to other top tiers such as Sheik and {{SSBM|Marth}} as well, as those characters' metagames were advancing faster than his.
+However, this perception changed drastically after the [[Jack Garden Tournament]], where players worldwide were introduced to {{Sm|Bombsoldier}} and his extremely aggressive interpretation of what was once considered a purely defensive character. Falco players soon realized that their approach to the character was suboptimal, and began implementing many of Bombsoldier's strategies into their own game. In turn, Falco's results began improving dramatically. New Falco mains, most notably {{Sm|PC Chris}}, soon began pushing him to levels of play exceeding that of even Bombsoldier's. PC Chris was even able to win some of the most prestigious tournaments at the time, proving that Falco had all the tools to succeed and come out on top at the highest level of play.
+With PC Chris retiring soon after ''Brawl'' was released in 2008, and with the concurrent rise of {{Sm|KoreanDJ}} and {{Sm|Mew2King}} (who both played Fox, among other characters), Falco saw a dip in popularity for a brief period of time. There was noticeable debate over his position at 2nd on the tier list, and he fell to 4th in a 2008 revision. However, his metagame was revitalized by new world class players, such as {{Sm|Mango}}, {{Sm|PPMD}}, {{Sm|Westballz}}, and {{Sm|DaShizWiz}}, who all gave Falco results at the top level once again. Falco players continued to place extremely well, and for some time until 2014, even won more large tournaments than Fox players. This led some players at the time, [http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/may/08/if-final-destination-was-only-stage-melee-marth-would-be-best-character-mew2kings-top-5-super-smash-bros-tier-list-pt3/ such as Mew2King], to believe that Falco was a better character than Fox, with the argument that Falco succeeds in notable tournaments more consistently than Fox, while Fox's perceived superiority was based more on potential than performance.
+However, since then, there have been very few majors, if any, won by a Falco main; Fox players have since taken 1st place in many more majors, even in PAL. This is mainly due to {{Sm|PPMD}}'s hiatus, the rise of Fox mains such as {{Sm|Leffen}}, and more top players electing to pick Fox in high-level tournament matches for his superior matchups against [[floaty]] characters. The Falco counterplay metagame has also advanced considerably, as professionals have greatly improved their [[DI]] and [[powershielding]] skills that make it much harder for Falco players to win the neutral game and combo opponents. As such, Falco is ranked 4th on the thirteenth and current tier list.
+====PAL viability====
+Like several other characters who, by coincidence, would years later be known to be top tier, Falco was nerfed in the PAL version of ''Melee''. His powerful down aerial spike now only has the spike hitbox during the first 10 frames of the move, while the weaker hitbox sends opponents on the [[Sakurai angle]] instead. This makes timing Falco's down aerial more key to success in tournament play. However, this nerf does not significantly affect him, as most Falco professionals train to hit with the strong hitbox anyway, and the duration of said hitbox is still enough to approach the enemy with it and wear down shields. Thus, Falco's viability in PAL is more or less the same as in NTSC, barring a slightly easier matchup against {{SSBM|Fox}} due to Fox's own nerfs in that version.
 ===Notable players===
 {{cleanup|[[SmashWiki:Cleanup of the Notable Players sections|To fit these guidelines]]}}
@@ Line 331: / Line 341: @@
 *{{Sm|Zhu|USA}} - The recipient of the famous [[Wombo Combo]], Zhu was one of the best Falco players in the post-MLG era, notably defeating {{Sm|Mew2King}} at the first {{Trn|GENESIS}}. Ranked 66th on the [[2017 SSBMRank]], and competed actively before retiring after {{Trn|EVO 2018}}.
 *{{Sm|Zorc|Norway}} - Formerly ranked 1st in [[Norwegian Power Rankings|Norway]].
-===Tier placement and history===
-Throughout the ''Melee'' tier lists, Falco has always been in the high/top tiers along with {{SSBM|Fox}} and {{SSBM|Sheik}}, with his lowest position being fifth place. In the beginning of ''Melee''{{'}}s metagame, Falco players had not yet discovered his strong combo potential. As such, they relied only on zoning out the opponent with his [[Blaster]] in the [[neutral game]], while largely ignoring his punish game. While this defensive style of play was reasonably effective and gave Falco the results he needed to stay in the high tiers, Falco was widely considered to be not only inferior to Fox, but to other top tiers such as Sheik and {{SSBM|Marth}} as well, as those characters' metagames were advancing faster than his.
-However, this perception changed drastically after the [[Jack Garden Tournament]], where players worldwide were introduced to {{Sm|Bombsoldier}} and his extremely aggressive interpretation of what was once considered a purely defensive character. Falco players soon realized that their approach to the character was suboptimal, and began implementing many of Bombsoldier's strategies into their own game. In turn, Falco's results began improving dramatically. New Falco mains, most notably {{Sm|PC Chris}}, soon began pushing him to levels of play exceeding that of even Bombsoldier's. PC Chris was even able to win some of the most prestigious tournaments at the time, proving that Falco had all the tools to succeed and come out on top at the highest level of play.
-With PC Chris retiring soon after ''Brawl'' was released in 2008, and with the concurrent rise of {{Sm|KoreanDJ}} and {{Sm|Mew2King}} (who both played Fox, among other characters), Falco saw a dip in popularity for a brief period of time. There was noticeable debate over his position at 2nd on the tier list, and he fell to 4th in a 2008 revision. However, his metagame was revitalized by new world class players, such as {{Sm|Mango}}, {{Sm|PPMD}}, {{Sm|Westballz}}, and {{Sm|DaShizWiz}}, who all gave Falco results at the top level once again. Falco players continued to place extremely well, and for some time until 2014, even won more large tournaments than Fox players. This led some players at the time, [http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/may/08/if-final-destination-was-only-stage-melee-marth-would-be-best-character-mew2kings-top-5-super-smash-bros-tier-list-pt3/ such as Mew2King], to believe that Falco was a better character than Fox, with the argument that Falco succeeds in notable tournaments more consistently than Fox, while Fox's perceived superiority was based more on potential than performance.
-However, since then, there have been very few majors, if any, won by a Falco main; Fox players have since taken 1st place in many more majors, even in PAL. This is mainly due to {{Sm|PPMD}}'s hiatus, the rise of Fox mains such as {{Sm|Leffen}}, and more top players electing to pick Fox in high-level tournament matches for his superior matchups against [[floaty]] characters. The Falco counterplay metagame has also advanced considerably, as professionals have greatly improved their [[DI]] and [[powershielding]] skills that make it much harder for Falco players to win the neutral game and combo opponents. As such, Falco is ranked 4th on the thirteenth and current tier list.
-====PAL viability====
-Like several other characters who, by coincidence, would years later be known to be top tier, Falco was nerfed in the PAL version of ''Melee''. His powerful down aerial spike now only has the spike hitbox during the first 10 frames of the move, while the weaker hitbox sends opponents on the [[Sakurai angle]] instead. This makes timing Falco's down aerial more key to success in tournament play. However, this nerf does not significantly affect him, as most Falco professionals train to hit with the strong hitbox anyway, and the duration of said hitbox is still enough to approach the enemy with it and wear down shields. Thus, Falco's viability in PAL is more or less the same as in NTSC, barring a slightly easier matchup against {{SSBM|Fox}} due to Fox's own nerfs in that version.
 ==In 1-P Mode==