Ken Combo: Difference between revisions

Ken Combo (edit)

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The Other Jared

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-{{ArticleIcons|ssb64=y|ssbm=y|ssb4=y|ssbu=y|unofficial=y|competitive=y}}
+{{ArticleIcons|allgames=y|unofficial=y|competitive=y}}
-{{out of date|This page covers basically nothing about Smash 4 and Ultimate, where "aerial to meteor" combos do exist.}}
+{{image|''SSB4'' and ''Ultimate''.}}
-{{incomplete|This page should cover other "aerial to meteor/spike" combos, while Melee Marth's is the most famous, it is not the only such combo that exists.}}
 [[File:Kencombo.gif|200px|thumb|right|The Ken Combo performed in ''[[Melee]]''.]]
 The '''Ken Combo''' refers to a [[spike]] setup with {{SSBM|Marth}} discovered and popularized by professional Marth player, {{Sm|Ken}}. According to Ken, the Ken Combo was initially developed in the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' using {{SSB|Captain Falcon}}'s {{mvsub|Captain Falcon|SSB|up aerial}} followed with a {{mvsub|Captain Falcon|SSB|down aerial}} [[meteor smash]].
+==Overview==
 The combo itself is as follows: a [[jump]]; a {{mvsub|Marth|SSBM|forward aerial}}; [[midair jump]]; and finally, a {{mvsub|Marth|SSBM|down aerial}}. However, some players refer to the entire chain of [[neutral aerial]]s and forward aerials followed by the spike as a "Ken combo" due to its effectiveness in ''[[Melee]]'' [[competitive play]]. Despite having an arguably simple premise, the Ken Combo requires precise spacing to do it consistently, as the down aerial's spike can only be landed if the forward air is correctly spaced. Against fast-fallers, the tippered forward aerial must connect below the character, so that the opponent is sent upward and set to fall into the d-air after Marth jumps; if the tipper forward aerial is not landed, then Marth cannot land the down aerial spike after the jump. Conversely, against floaties, Marth must forward aerial the opponent from above so they are not sent out of his range.
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 ==In games after ''Melee''==
-''Brawl'' changed the Sakurai angle so that, instead of immediately sending opponents upward at a 45 degree angle, it gradually sends them at higher degrees until it does reach 45 degrees. As a result, by the time knockback is sufficient to trigger the necessary angle for a Ken Combo, there is too much knockback for the move to properly combo, meaning Marth cannot perform the Ken Combo in ''Brawl''. This is continued in ''SSB4'' and ''Ultimate''.
+''Brawl'' changed the Sakurai angle so that, instead of immediately sending opponents upward at a 45 degree angle, it gradually sends them at higher degrees until it does reach 45 degrees. As a result, by the time knockback is sufficient to trigger the necessary angle for a Ken Combo, there is too much knockback for the move to properly combo, meaning Marth cannot perform a traditional Ken Combo in ''Brawl''.
-In ''Brawl'', several characters can perform their own versions of the Ken Combo, such as {{SSBB|Wolf}} and {{SSBB|R.O.B.}}. The introduction of [[hitstun]] cancelling, however, means that opponents can [[air dodge]] away from future hits or even hit back before the next attack can occur, drastically reducing their effectiveness compared to Marth's Ken Combo in ''Melee''; many of these combos also only work at narrow ranges due to the reworked Sakurai angle, making them less reliable than a true Ken Combo. The changes to hitstun cancelling following ''Brawl'' mean that the Ken Combo theoretically can be performed in ''SSB4'' and ''Ultimate'', but it would still lack the same potency it had in ''Melee''.
+===Aerial to meteor/spike combo===
+In ''Brawl'', several characters can perform their own versions of the Ken Combo, such as {{SSBB|Wolf}} and {{SSBB|R.O.B.}}. Due to having no widespread shorthand name, the technique is most often called the '''Aerial to meteor/spike combo'''. Much like the Ken Combo, the technique involves using an aerial move into a move with a meteor/spike effect as a kill move. The introduction of [[hitstun cancelling]], however, means that opponents can [[air dodge]] away from future hits or even hit back before the next attack can occur, drastically reducing their effectiveness compared to Marth's Ken Combo in ''Melee''; many of these combos also only work at narrow ranges due to the reworked Sakurai angle, making them less reliable than a true Ken Combo. These combos are also heavily [[DI]] dependant, forcing a player to read their opponents air dodge far in advance or simply be lucky, ultimately reducing its reliabilty and strategic potential.
+''SSB4'' introduced changes to hitstun cancelling that severly weakened its in-game effectiveness, such as significantly increasing the amount of required hitstun that cannot be canceled and having a tighter knockback window to activate the cancel, allowing for significantly more combo potential. This allows for not only more reliable aerial to meteor/spike combos for a wider selection of the roster, but also reintroduced a slightly modified version of the Ken Combo, albeit lacking the potency it had in ''Melee''. ''Ultimate'' indirectly changed hitstun canceling further by the engine changes like balloon knockback and airdodge properties mitigating its effectiveness. This further increased combo potential and made the psuedo Ken Combo easier to perform, giving it potency that is nearly comparable to its ''Melee'' counterpart, although reacting to DI is still a factor.
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