Captain Falcon (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Despite lacking a projectile, Falcon has an overall effective [[neutral game]], thanks to his mobility. His [[dash grab]] covers a long distance, making it a reliable [[approach]] option, and his back aerial is quick, has good range, and autocancels in a short hop, allowing it to lead into his grab. From there, he has many tools with which to rack up damage. His [[pummel]] is quick, and his down and forward throws are effective combo-starters, with his combo ability being arguably his greatest strength. His down throw leads into multiple up aerials, or his neutral aerial, and his forward throw combos into his dash attack or even his neutral air at low percents. Falcon's up aerial demonstrates the versatility of his [[combo]] game. At a wide range of percents, it can chain into any aerial including itself. Starting at middling percentages, it can even lead into his down air meteor smash on grounded foes, which can either extend combos onstage, or finish opponents near the ledge. Alternatively, Falcon can chain his up aerial into some his deadliest finishers, which include his down air meteor smash and the famed [[Knee Smash]] forward air, and end his opponent's stock below 100%.  

Captain Falcon also boasts excellent KO power, as well as a formidable edgeguarding ability. His smash attacks and back aerial deal high knockback, and his aforementioned Knee Smash is an extremely powerful [[semi-spike]] that KOs at early percentages offstage. His down aerial is relatively fast, has a large hitbox, and its sweetspot is one of the most powerful meteor smashes in the game, while its sourspot deals high horizontal knockback. His down tilt is a semi-spike, being useful for putting opponents offstage. His back and forward throws are good for starting edgeguards, and killing at high percentages. Due to his heavy weight, he is a proficient user of [[rage]], boosting his already strong KO power.

*{{nerf|[[Spot dodge]] has more startup lag with a shorter duration (frames 2-20 → 3-18).}}  

**{{change|Neutral attack's second hit can now either transition into the [[Gentleman]] (the third hit) only, or skip to the neutral infinite if the attack button is pressed repeatedly, rather than only being able to transition into the third hit which can then lead into the infinite.}}  

**{{buff|The infinite launches opponents at higher angles (361°/361°/90° → 85°/75°/90°) and it deals more knockback (0 (base), 50/20 (scaling) → (15/8)/(50/30)), making it connect more reliably.}}  

**{{buff|The infinite has a much lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.3×) along with a lower [[SDI]] multiplier (1x → 0.7x), making it much more difficult to escape from.}}  

**{{buff|Forward tilt has less ending lag when not angled and when angled downward (FAF 37 (non-angled)/32 (down) → 32/31).}}  

**{{buff|Up tilt's foot hitbox now [[meteor smash]]es aerial opponents (361° → 275°), greatly improving its edgeguarding potential.}}  

**{{nerf|Up tilt deals less damage (13% → 11%), without full compensation on its knockback, especially on the aerial foot hitbox (50 (base), 80 (scaling) → (35/22)/100).}}  

**{{nerf|Up tilt has a shorter duration (frames 17-22 → 17-20).}}  

***{{buff|This improving its consistency at edgeguarding and setting up [[tech-chase]]s, especially when combined with its increased knockback.}}  

**{{buff|Dash attack has larger hitboxes (6u (clean)/4.5u (late) → 6.2u/4.8u) and they are now static, rather than being attached to Captain Falcon's shoulder. They are positioned further forwards overall (z offset: 0.8 → 12), improving dash attack's range.}}  

**{{buff|Up and non-angled forward smash deal knockback (20 (base), 85 (scaling) → 24/95), improving its KO potential.}}  

**{{buff|Down angled forward smash deals more damage (18% → 20%) with minimally compensated knockback (20 (base), 85 (scaling) → 24/83), improving its KO potential.}}  

**{{nerf|Captain Falcon no longer lunges farther when performing a pivoted forward smash, significantly hindering its approach and whiff punishment potential.}}  

**{{buff|The first hit's lower hitboxes have altered angles (90°/100° → 95°/110°) and higher [[set knockback]] (80/100 → 120/140), allowing them to connect more reliably into the second hit.}}  

**{{buff|The second hit has larger hitboxes (4.8u/4.8u/4.8u → 6u/5.5u/5u).}}  

**{{nerf|The front hit deals much less damage (18% → 14%) without full compensation on its knockback scaling (85 → 90), significantly hindering its KO potential.}}  

**{{buff|Neutral aerial's second hit has slightly knockback scaling (125 → 130), improving its KO potential.}}  

**{{nerf|Forward aerial has a shorter initial [[auto-cancel]] window (frames 1-6 → 1-4).}}  

**{{nerf|Forward aerial auto-cancels later (frame 35 → 42), no longer doing so in a short hop.}}  

***{{nerf|When combined with the move's worse auto-cancel window and higher landing lag, this makes it much harder and more situation for Captain Falcon to exploit the opponent if they trip.}}

**{{nerf|Back aerial has a shorter initial auto-cancel window (frames 1-6 → 1-4).}}  

***{{buff|This siginificantly improves its combo potential at higher percents when combined with the changes to hitstun canceling and DI, with the move notably being able to combo into itself and even into a forward aerial.}}  

**{{buff|Down aerial's foot hitbox is noticeably larger (4.5u → 5.9u).}}  

**{{buff|The removal of [[meteor canceling]], significantly improves down aerial's edgeguarding potential, especially since its power was unchanged.}}  

***{{buff|In addition to this Dash grab's total duration was compensated (FAF 40 → 38).}}  

*{{nerf|The changes to aerial [[grab release]]s hinders Captain Falcon moreso than almost any other returning veteran as he no longer has any guaranteed followups out of an aerial grab release on any character (as opposed to having multiple followups against most of the cast) while not significantly reducing his own susceptibility to them.}}

***{{buff|However, the changes to hitstun canceling and DI have drastically improved the throw's combo potential despite this, with the throw now being a completely reliable combo starter, especially when combined with the changes to dash grab.}}  

**{{buff|Floor attacks have less startup lag (frame 20 (front)/19 (back)/28 (hit 2) → 14 (hit 1)/24 (front hit 2)/20 (back hit 2)) and they have shorter total durations (FAF 50 → 46).}}  

**{{buff|As with other edge attacks, it no longer has set knockback (110 (set), 100 (scaling) → 90 (base)/20).}}  

**{{nerf|Edge attack has a new animation where Captain Falcon performs a straight sweep, rather than a leaping cartwheel. When combined with the move now using one smaller static hitbox rather than multiple larger normal hitboxes attached to Captain Falcon's legs, this gives the move less vertical range and reduces its disjoint.}}  

**{{nerf|Edge attack deals less damage (10% → 7%) and launches opponents at a less favorable angle (361° → 45°).}}  

**{{buff|Falcon Punch can no longer be SDIed (SDI multiplier: 1× → 0×).}}  

**{{change|The aerial reversed version deals consistent damage (27% (middle)/24% (near)/23% (far) → 25% (all)). This makes the far and close hitboxes stronger but it also makes the middle hitbox weaker.}}

**{{nerf|Falcon Punch deals noticeably less knockback (30 (base), 93 (scaling) → 0/90). This not only hinders its KO potential (especially when combined with its lower damage on certain hitboxes) but this also makes the move highly punishable on hit at lower percents.}}  

**{{nerf|The grounded version deals consistent damage (27% (middle)/25% (near)/23% (far) → 25% (all)). While this makes the far hitbox stronger, this also makes the middle hitbox weaker, hindering the move overall.}}

**{{buff|Grounded Raptor Boost's attack deals more damage (7% → 9%), more shield damage (2 → 4), launches opponents at a higher angle (80° → 85°), and has increased knockback scaling (52 → 75), greatly improving its KO potential to the point where it is now a viable and decently strong KO option.}}  

**{{nerf|Grounded Raptor Boost's attack has a smaller hitbox (8u → 7u).}}  

**{{buff|Ground Falcon Kick has a longer duration (frames 15-33 → 18-38).}}

**{{buff|The grounded version's clean hit deals much more knockback (50 (base), 70 (scaling) → 60/80), significantly improving its KO potential.}}  

**{{buff|The grounded version's mid and late hits have higher base knockback (62 (mid)/50 (late) → 90/80).}}

**{{change|The grounded version's clean hit launches opponents at a higher angle (45° → 80°).}}  

**{{nerf|The grounded version has more startup (frame 15 → 18) and ending lag (FAF 70 → 74).}}  

**{{nerf|The aerial version's clean hit has lower knockback scaling (70 → 65).}}  

|fairname=[[Knee Smash]]

|ssdefdesc=Dashes forward, performing an uppercut on the ground if an opponent is in range, or a downswing in the air. The grounded version can KO middleweights at around 125% without rage, while the aerial version can meteor smash opponents below Captain Falcon.  

|dsdefdesc=Bursts forward with a flaming high-speed kick. If used in the air, he will plunge down at a diagonal angle. The grounded version launches vertically and KOs middleweights at around 120% when clean, while the aerial version launches horizontally and has a landing hitbox.  

|dsc1desc= Hits multiple times, with the last hit launching the opponent. The last hit has less knockback, however.  

''See also: [[:Category:Captain Falcon professionals (SSB4)]]''

*{{Sm|Acid|USA}} - Notably beat Fatality in Captain Falcon dittos at [[Tipped Off 11]].

*{{Sm|Demitus|USA}} - Was ranked 7th on the [[Chicago Smash 4 Power Rankings]]. He stopped playing Falcon in 2016.

*{{Sm|Glutonny|France}} - Has mostly dropped this character.

*{{Sm|GrimTurtle|USA}} - Switched mains to {{SSB4|Bayonetta}} and {{SSB4|Fox}}.

*{{Sm|Max Ketchum|USA}} - Was ranked 11th on the [[New Jersey Smash 4 Power Rankings]], with a notable win over {{Sm|Nairo}}. He switched to {{SSB4|Cloud}}/{{SSB4|Lucina}} in 2016.

*{{Sm|SilentSpectre|USA}}

*{{Sm|Trifroze|Finland}}

*{{Sm|ZeRo|Chile}} - He notably beat {{Sm|Ito}} with Captain Falcon at [[NorCal Regionals 2015]]. Occasionally (although rarely) breaks the character out in tournament, most notably against {{Sm|Tsu-}} at [[Frostbite 2017]] and against {{Sm|Fatality}} at [[MomoCon 2017]].

===Tier placement and history===

During the early lifespan of ''Smash 4'''s metagame, Captain Falcon's buffs were immediately noticed, with the most notable of them being the heavy changes to [[hitstun]] canceling and the improved combo ability on his moves. As a result, he has always been considered a high tier character, thanks to his quick mobility, high power, and the ability to perform heavily damaging combos and juggles with his throws and aerial moves, with his combos being quite easy to start due to his far-reaching dash grab. His representation has been strong throughout the game's lifespan, both due to his own strengths and his general popularity as a character. However, perceptions surrounding Falcon have not grown as much as other higher tiered characters than him, due to his poor recovery and difficulty escaping pressure and combos, along with receiving nerfs to his damage output and KOing ability through game updates. Players also began to cite his troublesome match-up against {{SSB4|Sheik}}, who would go on to become the perceived best character in the game for a long period of time. Despite this, his playerbase is among the largest in the entire roster, with players such as {{Sm|Acid}}, {{Sm|Fatality}}, {{Sm|Nanon}}, {{Sm|Pichi}}, {{Sm|Souther}}, {{Sm|Tearbear}}, {{Sm|ZeRo}} and {{Sm|z0mfg}} achieving strong enough tournament results with the character.

He would rank at 14th on the first iteration of the ''4BR'' [[tier list]], at the very top of the mid-tier, then dropped six spots on the second tier list to 20th, and dropped once again to 23rd on the third tier list. However, the change in the arrangement of the tiers caused him to be ranked more positively than in the initial tier list. However, his tier placement became a topic of debate amongst players, due to the recent appearances of many noteworthy results. Most notably, {{Sm|Fatality}} placed 2nd at [[2GGC: Civil War]], which is one of the largest ''Smash 4'' tournaments to date. Afterwards he went on to decisively eliminate {{sm|ZeRo}} from [[MomoCon 2017]], even while ZeRo counterpicked. This had him rise to 19th on the fourth and current tier list. Overall, Falcon has had the third highest rise from the ''[[Brawl]]'' tier list, and is one of the characters to have improved the most from that game.

 

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''In the F-Zero racing scene, Captain Falcon uses his Blue Falcon to win big. His origin largely a mystery, he's made his way to the Smash Bros. battlefield to prove his worth outside the cockpit. He's got speed and power, and his distinct Falcon Punch leaves a dent. Start it in the air to surprise your foes!''

 

::{{flag|pal}} ''We love it when this F-Zero pilot from Port Town takes a break from racing the Blue Falcon to take on challengers in brawls. His balance of speed, power and weight is spot on, and his slow but mighty Falcon Punch is oh so sweet when it finally connects. Try starting the attack in mid-air and punching your way into a frantic fray!''

 

{{Trophy games|console1=SNES|game1=F-Zero (08/1991)|console2=GCN|game2=F-Zero GX (08/2003)}}

 

:'''Captain Falcon (Alt.)'''

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Captain Falcon's default down special, Falcon Kick, is no ordinary kick—it surges forward in a fiery blaze. It's a versatile attack that moves sideways on the ground and diagonally down in the air. His forward air attack, Knee Smash, can send an enemy flying for miles if hit just right.''

 

::{{flag|pal}} ''The captain's Falcon Kick isn't just any old kick - it blazes either to the side or diagonally down to terrorise the enemy. Its speed also makes it top-notch for surprise attacks! Another move to try out is his forward air attack, Knee Smash. If you get as close to someone as you can before using it, it can launch them miles!''

 

{{Trophy games|console1=SNES|game1=F-Zero (08/1991)|console2=GCN|game2=F-Zero GX (08/2003)}}

 

::{{flag|ntsc}}''Captain Falcon's Final Smash lets him pull opponents into the middle of an F-Zero race-where competitors have been known to break the speed of sound-and run them over with his racing machine, the Blue Falcon. If he manages to grab you, there's no escape. The impact launches its victims diagonally upward.''

 

CaptainFalconTrophy3DS.png|Classic (3DS)