Ike (SSB4): Difference between revisions

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==Attributes==
==Attributes==
Ike is no longer one of the slowest characters in the game, although much of his playstyle remains unchanged: a heavyweight with slow, but incredibly powerful attacks. He has been buffed in areas to compliment his aforementioned playstyle, with him having much better mobility than before in his ground and air speeds, as well as his jumps being improved. In addition, some of his attacks have reduced start-up and ending lag but deal less damage to compensate, improving some of his moves such as his [[forward tilt]] and aerials, giving him new combo potential while toning down some of the overwhelming power he possessed in the previous game. His smash attacks, however, have been virtually unchanged: they are still some of the strongest smash attacks in the game and punishable if whiffed or used without consideration. Due to this, Ike still mainly relies on reads in order to KO his opponents with his smash attacks.  
Ike is no longer one of the slowest characters in the game, although much of his playstyle remains unchanged: a heavyweight with slow, but incredibly powerful attacks. Ike possesses average mobility. He has a slow [[walking]] speed, average [[dashing speed]], above average [[air speed]], low [[air acceleration]], above average [[falling speed]] and [[gravity]], and relatively high [[jump]]s. He is also tied for the 8th [[weight|heaviest]] character in the game.


Additionally, while Ike's range was decreased, his is still among the best in the game, with only a few characters like {{SSB4|Shulk}} and {{SSB4|Cloud}} outclassing him in this aspect. This means he can still effectively space out opponents with his far reaching moves like forward tilt and forward air, perhaps even better than before because of the significant buffs to his attack speed.
For a heavyweight, Ike has a good [[approach]]. His sword, Ragnell, grants him a very long, disjointed reach, being surpassed only by {{SSB4|Shulk}}'s Monado blade. Ike's neutral, forward, and back aerials are good approach tools, as the former has low landing lag, and the latter two deal high shield-stun due to their damage and [[auto-cancel]] in a [[short hop]], making them safe on block. His forward aerial stands out the most, for it has decently fast start-up, moderate landing lag if not auto-cancelled, and covers a huge area in front of Ike. It is his most reliable approach option thanks to these attributes, and when spaced properly, it can make him a surprisingly difficult character to [[punish]]. His aerials' speed and range grant him the ability to [[pressure]] his foes, something that other heavyweights lack.  


Ike's combo game has also greatly improved, with his down tilt, neutral air, down, and up throws being excellent combo starters, as they combo into his aerials and tilts. With these combos at Ike's disposal, he can easily rack damage on his opponent and lead into a KO if his opponent is not careful.
Also unusual for a character of his class, Ike has a strong [[combo]] game. His neutral aerial, down tilt, up throw, and down throw all send opponents into the air, leaving them vulnerable to his strong aerials, allowing him to perform short but damaging combos. Due to up throw's low knockback scaling, it can lead into his forward or up aerials even at high percentages, providing him with a few invaluable KO set-ups. Forward aerial is also a good combo tool; if auto-cancelled properly, it can chain into itself up to three times at mid-percents, racking up roughly 35% damage.  


While his specials were nerfed, except for [[Counter]], they still have their uses. [[Eruption]], despite losing its [[super armor]] frames when uncharged, is still effective for edge-guarding and can put Ike's opponent in a tough spot due to its flames covering more vertical distance the longer Ike charges it. [[Quick Draw]] is now stronger, has faster start-up, less landing lag and is not only a recovery move, but a faster alternative to running and can quickly catch up to Ike's opponents if they DI away. [[Aether]], Ike's main recovery move, is a mainly vertical, multi-hitting move that can clip through stages to deal extra damage on Ike's opponents. It can also spike opponents that are stuck in it throughout the duration of this move. Aether retains its super armor frames, although it has less than before. Counter allows Ike to attack his opponents back if they hit him throughout the duration of it. Depending on how strong the hit, Ike will attack back with 1.2x the damage and can KO the opponent if the opponent's attack is powerful enough.
Ike's KO power is fearsome. His smash attacks are among the strongest of their kinds, and he boasts the fifth strongest forward smash in the game. Both forward and up smashes have long reach, having utility against both grounded and aerial opponents. Up smash covers a wide arc around Ike and has a large amount of active frames, making it a deadly option at the ledge and a good option for punishing [[roll]]s. While these moves suffer from large amounts of start-up and ending lag, Ike is not reliant on them to KO. His forward and back aerials are quick and strong, giving him safe KOing options in [[neutral]], unlike other heavyweights, and he also has his aforementioned KO set-ups off of his up throw. Ike has an effective edge-guarding game, both due to his powerful aerials and his neutral special, [[Eruption]], which is chargeable, powerful, and has a huge hitbox, making it terrifying against opponents aiming their recoveries to the ledge. Furthermore, with his excellent endurance, he can make great use of the [[rage]] mechanic, boosting his already strong power.


Ike is one of the more potent edge-guarders in the game, with Eruption and his forward aerial being good options against predictable recoveries and the introduction of edge-stealing allows him to effectively use his fast and strong back aerial to score early KOs. The additional landing lag for air dodging allows Ike to threaten and punish bad decisions with his strong attacks. As a heavy character, he also benefits from the [[rage]] mechanic, increasing his already strong knockback even further and allowing him to survive many attacks with proper DI even at high percentages.
However, Ike is not without flaws. Though not particularly slow, Ike is still susceptible to rush-down characters, notably {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Sonic}}. His size, weight, and falling speed leave him vulnerable to combos, and he lacks any moves that can reliably break them. As he is a melee-fighter, Ike has no projectile, putting him at a disadvantage against camping tactics. Aside from shield-grabbing, Ike has no effective [[out of shield]] options due to the start-up of his moves, and so he has difficulty relieving pressure at times. While Ike's aerials give him a decent approach in the air, his grounded approach is comparatively poor, as none of his grounded attacks are particularly fast, making his approach overall predictable. His aerials also require proper spacing and timing to be effective, as they can be punished if misused since they have noticeable ending lag.


Despite Ike's increased speed, he still is heavily outmatched by the game's faster characters, such as {{SSB4|Sonic}} and {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}. While this is not only a very common problem among heavyweights, Ike's problems with speedy characters is further compounded by his small number of fast attacks and virtual lack of good [[out of shield]] options. If Ike does not play safer and fight these opponents with caution, they can easily deal quick and easy damage on him, leading to an early KO. Ike can have difficult matchups aganist opponents who have an array of projectiles, such as {{SSB4|Villager}}.
Ike's recovery also poses an issue. Though long-distanced, it is highly predictable. [[Quick Draw]] must be charged to travel farther, making it highly telegraphed, as it is completely linear. [[Aether]] covers good vertical height, but very little horizontal distance, and because it is invariable suicide if Ike performs it too far from the ledge, it is also telegraphed. Unless Quick Draw hits an opponent, it leaves him [[helpless]], and so by default, Ike cannot use his two recovery options in tandem. Since Ike completely lacks a diagonal recovery method, he is vulnerable to [[semi-spike]]s.  


With [[Character customization|custom moves]] on, Ike does gain some benefits. Furious Eruption and Tempest improve his already good edge-guarding ability. Furious Eruption is stronger, has more vertical distance and launches foes upwards, making it very good on stages with low ceilings. Tempest charges faster and generates a windbox that pushes opponents far and is able to [[gimp]] recoveries. Tempest also stalls Ike in the air which can aid Ike's recovery if used correctly. Close Combat has [[Priority]] allowing it to ignore projectiles and shields which helps Ike when recovering. Aether Drive grants him a diagonal recovery that he previously lacked at the the cost of losing his only means of vertical recovery. Paralyzing Counter allows Ike to stun the opponent allowing for a follow-up attack, at the cost of his counter being significantly weaker.
With [[Character customization|custom moves]] on, Ike does gain some benefits. Furious Eruption and Tempest improve his already good edge-guarding ability. Furious Eruption is stronger, has more vertical distance and launches foes upwards, making it very good on stages with low ceilings. Tempest charges faster and generates a windbox that pushes opponents far and is able to [[gimp]] recoveries. Tempest also stalls Ike in the air which can aid Ike's recovery if used correctly. Close Combat has [[Priority]] allowing it to ignore projectiles and shields which helps Ike when recovering. Aether Drive grants him a diagonal recovery that he previously lacked at the the cost of losing his only means of vertical recovery. Paralyzing Counter allows Ike to stun the opponent allowing for a follow-up attack, at the cost of his counter being significantly weaker.
Overall, Ike's strengths allow him to overcome his weaknesses. With range, power, and effective combos, Ike is a viable character, and while his predictable recovery and susceptibility to combos, juggles, and camping are noticeable, these can be worked around with careful play,  as shown by players such as {{Sm|Ryo}}.


==Changes from ''Brawl''==
==Changes from ''Brawl''==
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