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be punished if their attack is shielded, such as via shield grabbing or out of shield attacks. An attack that is difficult or impossible to punish is usually

vulnerability, meaning they can be punished very easily if read. Shield pressure is used to lure out one of the options to punish. An example of good shield pressure

rarely used as a result, only being useful as a risky hard punish or as a shield break punish in most situations. While not always true, characters with

allowing for harder punishes. Yet another change in Ultimate is that all characters have greatly increased traction, which makes OoS punishes easier to perform

players to be punished for going for a ledge grab, even though it is more difficult and less consistent than edge-hogging. The two frames of punish time don't

read (or, in some cases, react to) the direction of a player's tech and punish them. Characters with fast movement speed, like Captain Falcon, are very

are fast enough to punish any mistakes. However, Mewtwo can also use its great ground and air speed to mix up approaches and punish mistakes using these

make them highly committal, making them very easy for wary opponents to punish (particularly using a shield grab). Prior to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

neutral. Overall, Falcon remains a high-risk high-reward fighter with a solid punish game overall. Falcon has seen respectable tournament results from players

makes it his best hard punish option considering its immense strength. Overall, his smash attacks are all formidable for hard punishes. Both up and down smash

in the top of A tier. One of Sheik's greatest strengths is her formidable punish game. Sheik's down throw is one of the best combo starters in Melee, as

startup of their down smashes, which allow them to dodge certain attacks and punish them heavily. This leads them to sometimes be humorously labeled "spot dodges

her to easily punish opponents that are quick to approach her on the ground. Should opponents reach Samus up closer, she can quickly punish and reset neutral

traction generally require more precise movement across the ground and cannot punish attacks as effectively out of shield since they will get pushed further

start his strong punish game and when he ends up offstage, he heavily struggles to get back on stage against a strong opponent. Ness' punish game unfortunately

game, as well as being able to dash away from shield grabs without getting punished, complementing his already-impressive range extremely well. Marth also

with almost any opponent while additionally making him very difficult to punish. In terms of attack speed, almost all of Fox's moves have less than 10 frames

because slow rolls are easier to react to and short rolls are easier to punish. Most characters use a rolling, somersaulting or spinning animation for

viable option out of shield; all other options can be punished or do not have the proper range to punish well-spaced moves. Moveover, his damage-based armor

to, while Dragon Fang Shot has two separate chargeable portions which can punish careless shielding up close. Dragon Lunge serves as the centerpiece of Corrin's

stock. A single Ice Climber, known as "Sopo", loses access to its grab punishes and has one of the lowest damage outputs and worst recoveries in Melee

dodge attacks and make a retreat or capitalize on a reckless opponent and punish them. Some attacks intentionally make certain body parts intangible in order

through shielding, Shields can block attacks and leave opportunities to punish afterward, and regular attacks can outprioritize grabs due to their generally

both of these changes improve his hard punish game. The changes to shieldstun make it easier for him to punish aerial approaches out of shield and make

finishers, allowing them to quickly and effectively punish opponents close to him, while being difficult to punish themselves on shield. Forward smash can be angled

result, some fighters have up smashes that serve as excellent out of shield punishes, while others function as precise, but powerful anti-airs. From Brawl onwards

opponent's to make risky approaches, providing opportunities for Isabelle to punish. Notably, Isabelle's unique jab gives her the ability to perform the "Wobbelle"

more on reads and baits, and the punishes that come with them. However, Ganondorf is also very susceptible to punishes himself, as he is easily comboed

Its incredibly large hitbox makes it an excellent 2-frame punish tool, can be used to punish rolls or techs, and can also be used as a deadly stage spike

into his specials, while his auto-turnaround ability also allows him to punish rolls and create deadly ledgetraps. In addition, Terry's combo and KO ability

Falco's Blaster shots are very fast, hard to punish, very long-ranged, transcendent, and allow him to camp and punish approaches easily. At low percents, Falco

long ranged, fast and auto-cancels from a short hop, making it difficult to punish. In Ultimate, it is much harder to use due to having noticeably less range

opponent, as they can capitalize on the opponent still being in hitlag and punish them or bait a certain reaction by using an attack with invincibility. Invincibility

during the peak of the Golden Age. Pioneered Falco's punish game further, particularly by extending punishes using platforms and aerial Shine combos. By 2007

him apart from them. Ridley's most defining trait is his potent and varied punish game and aerial pressure. With remarkably long range, high power, and decent

might be able to bait and punish with his up special to start combos, but it can become predictable over time, and it can be punished by characters with quick

relatively low end lag. This results in Mario being fairly difficult to punish relative to most of the cast. His combo game is quite flexible, as Mario

previous game and still possesses devastating punishes, her watered down combo game makes her early punish game and advantage less oppressive than before

Sephiroth forward and significantly lowers his hurtbox, giving him a way to punish more ranged attacks. Dash attack, despite being fairly punishable due to

allow Luigi to quickly and effectively punish opponents close to him while also rendering him being difficult to punish on shield. Forward smash deals extra

hard to punish on a blocked pin-down version, even with a successful powershield. The followups from the grounded hop can also be used to punish tech options

of this move to catch landings and punish whiffed moves is essential, although overuse and misuse is easily punished as it is unsafe on shield. Her forward

very few attacks come out as equally fast, and many attacks can be easily punished after being shielded. Due to this characteristic, simply approaching an

B tier. His placing on the tier list comes from having one of the best punishes in the game, as well as a solid neutral. However, he is held back due to

out the opponent quite easily, stuff out opposing approaches and adeptly punish most careless attacks. A prime example of this trait is Cloud's aerial attacks:

impossible to punish in some situations. Shuttle Loop has high knockback (especially at low percents), quick start-up, and is difficult to punish, as he can

mainly centered on the fundamentals of platform fighting: neutral game, punish game, and finishing (including raw KO power and edgeguarding). In Brawl

while being difficult for an opponent to punish due to its staying power, relative safety on shield and heavy punish abilities, making Incineroar very formidable

it easy for him to heavily punish mistakes, his sluggish frame data also makes counterattacks an excellent option to punish his many KO options if they

matchups than Melee or Brawl despite the Ice Climbers' expanded neutral and punish options. In the Project+ tier list, they are ranked 13th in the A tier,

carefully when close to Dr. Mario, as a single whiff could lead into a deadly punish. However, Dr. Mario's weaknesses outshine many of his strengths. His most

characters, which, in conjunction with his quick speed makes Joker hard to punish, and hard to hit. One of Joker's biggest strengths is his frame data. Many

reliant on Warp, which has no active hitbox and can be consistently two frame punished. Overall, Palutena is a simple but effective character at all levels of

or edgehog, and if Falcon chooses to land on the stage, he can be freely punished upon landing, resulting in him repeatedly being knocked off the stage.

him the ability to vary his recovery to make it incredibly difficult to punish him offstage, let alone gimp him. Meta Knight does have several weaknesses

while shielding. Generally, it is used to punish attacks when they are blocked, and is the most basic way to punish out of shield; in most cases, the attacker

combos, his grab is among the shortest-ranged in the game and can be easily punished if a grab misses. His moveset revolving around several projectiles means

and can be jumped out of -the mechanic known as parry- giving him unique punish opportunities when an opponent hits him during that startup animation. Although

aerials. This makes a Kirby playing defensively correctly rather difficult to punish. However, Kirby's defensive ability is hindered slightly by his average

speed of all three variations allows them to only work effectively as whiff punishes. While it's not impossible to use it in other contexts, it is far less

the middle ground between Fox's focus on pressure and Falco's focus on punishes. This is reflected in his attributes: he has a slow dashing speed (though

and his finishers are generally fast for their power, giving him a solid punish ability. While his air speed is slow, his aerial moveset is generally solid:

although her down tilt and down smash are solid power shield punishes. As a result, Zelda's strong punish game is not enough to make up for her poor mobility,

in Brawl. Altogether, Ganondorf's high power allows him to deal ruthless punishes when the opportunity arises, in addition to being capable of ending stocks

relatively low end lag. This results in Mario being fairly difficult to punish relative to most of the cast. His combo game is quite flexible, as Mario

even kill confirms, while in turn allowing her to reverse disadvantage and punish her opponent. Finally, Bayonetta has an oppressive offstage game thanks

to them causing higher shieldstun, making it difficult for opponents to punish tippers on shield. In addition, his overall frame data is very good, such

Jigglypuff has one of the most potent punish games out of all characters, yet is immune to most other characters' punishes; additionally, it cannot easily be

as well. Inhale has high ending lag, allowing other characters to easily punish him after he finishes the move. Gordo Toss's Gordos can be reflected back

recovery that does not cause helplessness, and Heaven's Door allowing him to punish shielding opponents, which is further boosted under the effects of Rage

it is far more likely an attempt at causing a shield poke, or to bait and punish a roll, grab, or spot dodge. Still, since gaps in shieldstun must exist

launching them with the last blow. You can adjust the laser beam's angle, so punish a foe who thought he or she was safe by trying to duck under the beam! Mii

small character who wields a sword. These factors make him difficult to punish, and in turn allow him to pressure his opponents. His speed also gives him

moveset has some effective attacks: down tilt functions as an amazing 2 frame punish and edgeguarding option thanks to its long duration and range, up tilt is

and startup of a majority of his moves, making him prone to getting parry punished or overwhelmed by faster moves. His recovery is also fairly exploitable

opponents with low shield health play more carefully around him, as he can punish any mistake extremely hard. As such, mistiming or overusing shields against

Its large hitbox also reaches beyond the ledge and allows it to 2 frame punish opponents. His down smash is fast, has good KO power (especially with the

opponent. This potentially improves his punishes. This makes his ledgetraps more efficient and allows him to punish rolls and cross ups much more easily.

down smash, which makes them hard to land and/or leave him exposed for a punish. In conclusion, Mega Man has a lot of tools to apply a lot of pressure with

guaranteed KO setups with Witch Time, and the ability to punish the opponent for trying to punish her due to the former move. Despite her strengths being

out the opponent quite easily, snuff out opposing approaches and adeptly punish most careless attacks due to his speed and range. A prime example of this

slightly more startup and are heavier on ending lag, making them easier to punish than other grab types if they miss. Pivot grab (known as CatchTurn internally)

maneuverability also makes him a great punisher, being able to swoop in, bait an attack, back away, and move back in to punish with one of his many fast aerials

wavedashing. Players tend to get a grasp of how to bait out attacks and punish them, an important skill for succeeding all the way into high-level gameplay

reaction from the enemy. The Gunner's Grenade Launch, while being tough to punish, is able to cover a large range of angles, switch directions up to three

handful of characters can punish the move on shield (although if Zero Suit Samus spaces the move well, even they cannot punish it). One problem the move

having a short range, which makes spacing essential for him to avoid getting punished. As mentioned within his reveal trailer, Little Mac performs strongly on

Consequently, characters with superior attack speed can easily overwhelm and punish him, especially if his attacks are whiffed. Most of Ike's out-of-shield

has very little ending lag, making it very difficult for an opponent to punish her for using it. This allows Rosalina to virtually shut down projectile-reliant

combos/multi hits which would normally work and they can even potentially punish the opponent after getting hit. This does overall depend on the strength

and a slow, short ledge roll, making it very easy for enemies to extend punishes on Pichu with little that the Pichu player can do to escape. Furthermore

recovery move and is also Hero's fastest and most reliable out of shield punish. Woosh can be charged into Swoosh, granting more vertical distance and horizontal

intangible, it is difficult to hit during Quick Attack's warps, making it hard to punish if Pikachu uses it effectively. The move's intangibility combined with its

with its slower startup, this makes it much safer and more difficult to punish, even being safe on shield if spaced, and due to its low cooldown, it can

opponents thanks to its consistent hitbox, although it can also be used as to punish opponents from out of shield when it is SHFF'd. Palutena's grounded moveset

and explosion also makes it relatively easy for the opponent to tech and punish the move's ending animation, a maneuver known as the Tech Check. Main article:

aerial, which can also make him difficult to punish if the opponent stands too close to him and mistimes its punish. However, King Dedede has numerous weaknesses

has weaknesses. His subpar tech roll and bad combo weight make it easy to punish and fatally chain Lucas if he makes a mistake. He also has short range and

player to avoid damage, not be as easily punished, have more control over their actions, and be able to punish their opponent's attacks. Dash-dance pivots

combo breaker. It can also lock, which gives Greninja access to potent punishes from opponents missing techs. Its down tilt is an excellent combo starter

as a consistent whiff punish kill confirm. Down smash’s higher knockback and faster frame data gives it more potency as a punish option, ledgetrapping

player to avoid damage, not be as easily punished, have more control over their actions, and be able to punish their opponent's attacks. Dash-dance pivots

cheap when players have difficulty countering it and may be difficult to punish. Juggling an opponent involves spamming the up tilt, up aerial, or up smash

the precision required to punish rolls with the move. However, it's still slow, has a clear visual cue, and can be punished very easily as the move can

such as his Shoryuken and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, allowing his opponent to punish him for landing those moves. Finally, Ken is forced to approach in a lot

for around half a second; effective ways to punish her are to edgehog her in Melee and Brawl, and 2 frame punish in Smash 4 and Ultimate. The re-entry of

for opponents to escape due to hitbox placement. The move can be used to punish rolls or even stage spike if positioned properly. However, there is a hitbox

to now punish the move on shield (including Bayonetta), in addition to the move becoming -5 on powershield, opening up more power shield punish opportunities

good amount of range making them solid whiff punishers however, they can leave the user vulnerable for a punish if the down tilt is blocked or if their opponent

bit harder to punish. For all its potential, however, Rest infamously possesses extremely high ending lag, making it very easy to punish if whiffed, though

extend combos, while the latter can quickly rack up damage and set up strong punishes. Ness's recovery has improved in Ultimate thanks to buffs to PK Thunder

and create more time for the character to act, potentially avoiding being punished during the move's landing lag. Precise auto-canceling of aerials is also

Mega Man or shield the explosion. Both projectiles easily lead to a grab punish as Mega Man owns a great grab combo ability, having a fast grab and many

heavily limits the opponent's ability to punish Ness if he absorbs a projectile but it can even allow Ness to punish opponents after absorbing projectiles

most lag and prevent themselves from being on the wrong end of potential punish opportunities while on the floor (known as a “missed tech”). A successful

attacks are fast, short-ranged, weak attacks meant for easy close-range punishes or escaping pressure. Almost all neutral attacks in the series are natural

Sheik's nerfs mainly impacted her punish game but she still had the tools needed in order to win neutral and get her punish game going. Sheik was very likely

overall disjointed range in the game. Shulk's excellent range allows him to punish careless moves by retaliating at a distance, or create space by challenging

options, allowing her to reliably punish relatively safe moves. However, these moves are still not fast enough to punish ordinarily safe moves and Zelda

in its ending animation, punishing foes who attempt to DI close to him to punish the ending lag. Bowser Bomb is now a much safer move; in addition to its

the aforementioned projectile and chain grab users, and that the enhanced punish game means that small mistakes become far more consequential (similarly

simply walking or dashing up to the opponent. Walking is slow and can be punished. However, this method can be unpredictable due to its rarity, and allows

also auto-cancel on a short hop, which grants it utility for out of shield punishes and potential zero-to-death combos. Despite its poor range, Pikachu also

and it also lacks a hitbox when she reappears, leaving her vulnerable to punishes when he tries to land. All of these factors contribute to Zelda having

get an opponent on top of a platform and Rest can be used after that to punish their tech option. Up aerials can be used to cause the opponent to miss

with high knockback but has a very slow startup, making the move easy to punish. It has recoil damage both in the beginning and when Charizard hits something

certain characters and, if they are moving, can make it a bit harder to punish. For all its potential, however, Rest has the slowest interruptibility in

As such, the move is rarely used in competitive play, apart from hard punishes or setting up sacrificial KOs while having a stock lead. In Ultimate, the

the harsher Project M environment, where many characters now have tools to punish and gimp Fox harshly for mistakes that players make with him. Overall, he

opponent's shield until they choose an option to escape, which Roy can then punish. Roy's neutral attack is useful thanks to its KO confirms into his forward

from a down tilt or neutral aerial at low percentages. If Peach 2 frame punishes the opponent with a down tilt, she can follow with a golf club. The tennis

in competitive play, thanks to his high reward potential and devastating punish game. However, despite his success and great potential, Ryu's tier ranking

landing back on stage and also providing a consistent option for her to punish certain attacks and even projectiles. When coupled with Rosalina's reliable

and all having very minimal ending lag, making her extremely difficult to punish properly; this is supplemented by the good range of her moveset. She also

it is a lunging tackle that can start combos at varying percents, 2 frame punish reliably, function as a pseudo-crawl, and is his best spacing option in

slathering boatloads of damage onto the opposition from a single whiff-punish. At percents too high for a combo, it's still useful as one of the Climbers'

reactions, to properly edgeguard Pikachu. Pikachu's other strength is its solid punish game; although Pikachu is fast and light, it still possesses several ways

than conventional counters; the distance the move covers allows Lucario to punish the opponent when countering a projectile, and the fact that the strength

to be punished. For it to be a reliable crossup, the King K. Rool player must space dash attack to cross up in a way that leaves it harder to punish, which

in the game. Pikachu can easily approach its opponent to start its strong punish game and Pikachu also has the tools to play a more defensive game if it

additionally mostly have poor to mediocre reach. This results in him being easily punished when his attacks are shielded, and complicates safe approaches. His projectile

landing options and slow falling speed, opponents will also have more time to punish Samus as she attempts to return to the stage. In addition, many of her moves

quite punishable if they miss. At a distance, one can even use Quick Draw to punish floor recoveries and floor attacks because of the move's ability to be held

quickly uncharged Water Shuriken can allow Greninja to recover fast enough to punish with options such as a dash grab. Aside from recovery/edgeguarding applications

it at the opponent for it to work, it is integral to his kit and lets him punish missed attacks, have a strong advantage in the neutral game, create extremely

that does not actually fix the problem with planking, and it can unfairly punish a player who exceeded the ledge grab limit from being kept offstage often

can swerve away from opponents if it hits shield to potentially escape a punish. While up aerial can also be drop canceled, the utility is little to none

always leads to a KO. They argue that wobbling's guaranteed stock loss punishes opponents too severely for making small mistakes, and forces opponents

disjointed hitbox above Marth's head which can hit through the stage and punish people standing near the ledge. However the move doesn't travel far horizontally

attacks, Wario is able to dip in and out of the fray to bait attacks and punish. Wario's attacks in general also tend to be disjointed, as his hands don't

Fox's traction is higher (0.0667 (2) → 0.08), making it easier for him to punish out of shield. Fox's air speed is much slower (1.2 (36) → 0.83), going from

is a strategy that limits the opponent's options and provides a chance to punish their reaction. Using his forward and back aerials in a short hop is also

and good spacing can sometimes potentially also make them difficult to punish as well. Her dash attack is fast by swordfighter standards, coming out on

bottom five. Finally, Roy's long extended dash-dance allows him to read and punish opponents accordingly. However, his laggy initial dash (17 frames) and turnaround

of time to punish Marth. This can often lead into a stock, even at very low percents as opponents can either charge a very powerful punish or begin a devastating

used on or above the stage, Jigglypuff's opponents have a lot of time to punish Rest, and when it is used off-stage, it leads to a guaranteed self-destruct

combined with its fast startup for a smash attack. It's also a powerful punish option. However, it has noticeable ending lag, it's unsafe on shield and

Marth's moves, it is easily punished if shielded. Marth's Counter, the fastest counter in the game, can be used to punish opponent attacks and interrupt

from a down tilt or neutral aerial at low percentages. If Daisy 2 frame punishes the opponent with a down tilt, she can follow with a golf club. The tennis

Ultimate is particularly effective due to its solid power and difficulty to punish. Zelda's back aerial is one of her Lightning Kicks, and deals very high

together, they can be difficult to approach, as one can cover the other and punish opponents when in danger. They also have good KO potential, thanks to Luma's

Mii Swordfighter's moveset, especially on the ground, can be quite easy to punish, especially by quick, powerful characters like Little Mac. The Mii Swordfighter

landing options and slow falling speed, opponents will also have more time to punish Dark Samus as she attempts to return to the stage. Similarly to Samus, Dark

combos. Neutral aerial's hitbox has a long duration, which allows it to punish air dodges or start combos upon landing as the opponent is being hit. Forward

of parry against attacks with multiple hits. Flare Blitz is a strong hard-punish attack that effectively tech chases opponents and inflicts significant damage

able to reliably take stocks around 70%. Aside from the typical hard read/punish that most f-smashes serve as, such a fast instance of the move is great

smash and down tilt. Her screw attack also offers a quick and difficult-to-punish out of shield option, due to being invincible for the first couple frames

Pac-Man is holding while attacking, allowing Pac-Man to run away and possibly punish the opponent. Update 2.0.0 then buffed Pac-Man's combo potential by making

Bowser's attacks have notoriously sluggish frame data, and are easy to punish. As a result, Bowser ironically has trouble KOing opponents despite his

potentially valuable resources. His up smash and down tilt leave him vulnerable to punish should he miss, and while Steve's tool attacks are fast, they have short

Infinite Dimensional Cape are usually banned and the guilty parties are punished accordingly. However, some glitches are deemed positive to the overall

dropping is to punish the use of moves on a shielding player on a platform, as it allows players to quickly do an aerial out of shield to punish ending lag

Lucario to keep close to the opponent so that it never misses a chance to punish and tack on damage, which is a problem against faster close-range fighters

The sheer number of rapid multihits can make it even more difficult to punish since it's hard to make out the ending animation amongst two Climbers in

real method of dealing with pressure is Whirling Fortress, which can be punished if executed too late. Some of his moves are also inevitable KOs if used

due to its very weak knockback, and dash attack's is mostly used as a fast punish option and its low power can actually allow it to combo, though it can be

granting him a decent combo game, this trait makes him both difficult to punish and very effective at punishing. However, the multipliers applied to some

Jigglypuff's constant aerial playstyle, and can punish opponents who overuse shields in an attempt to punish Jigglypuff out of shield. In Super Smash Bros

floating low to the ground and using retreating aerials makes her difficult to punish, and this greatly helps her own approach as well. With good spacing, she

hits connect. The last hit deals moderate knockback, making it difficult to punish and allowing it to KO at high precents, as well as being rarely escaped

knockback-based armor, making weak hits glance off and allow for a quick punish. Giga Bowser's gigantic size also gives him incredible reach, even with

could punish it on-hit with a back aerial and produces a slight wind effect a small distance outside its grab to make it more difficult to punish. It also

great out of shield options with Soaring Axe Kick having excellent range to punish disjointed attacks and retreating aerials, Helicopter Kick coming out as

than Link's (0.113 → 0.105), making it slightly harder for Young Link to punish out of shield. Young Link's air friction is slightly lower (0.0038 → 0.00375)

mechanic as the only wake-up option that can be used afterwards, allowing for a punish as the opponent stands up. The character will stand up in an identical animation

time ends, which can cause unsuspecting opponents attempting to punish them to get punished themselves instead. From Brawl onward, however, every character

forward smash to send opponents off-stage. Its greater power up close can also punish overzealous opponents who carelessly step into Roy's threat zone, allowing

of endlag, making them fairly risky to throw out and easy for him to be punished. His projectiles are also easily predictable to see coming and avoid which

has to win more neutral exchanges to compensate for the lack of stronger punishes, while his KO ability is still weaker than Roy's, most notably with Double-Edge

who would occasionally interrupt gameplay (or even save a player from a punish) and the fact that the ducks, which would increase the score on the bottom

moves are also helpful for his gameplan. Giant Punch is his surprise KO and punish move, can be used to pressure the opponent, and has super armor if fully

close range. On power shield, more characters could punish the move but even they could only punish if they had a very quick neutral attack or tilt, which

hit has a slightly longer duration (frame 14-15 → 14-16), enabling it to punish rolls better than Mario's. Down smash has less reach (12u/6.8u (front) and

throws have decent damage outputs and minimal lag, which make them hard to punish. Incidentally, his grab game is decent overall. While none of his grabs

Barrel Cannon below may be considered a gimmick, but it is very easy to punish players shooting upwards out of the barrel, and it is also impossible to

it is harder for her to punish out of shield with an up smash or dash attack. Some of her laggier moves are also easier to punish out of shield compared

restricts Lucario to using a bait and punish playstyle, as it cannot safely perform rushdowns without getting punished most of the time. This gives Lucario

Diddy Kong's punish game but Diddy still retained his strong mobility and moveset, allowing him to still easily win neutral and get his punish game going

Yoshi has significantly higher traction (0.0426 → 0.095), allowing him to punish out of shield much more easily. Yoshi's jump height has been slightly reduced

Technically, this counts as a buff, thanks to it making the window for jab locked punishes on Min Min less lenient. However, Min Min was yet again nerfed in a few

incredibly threatening character with a very unforgiving advantage state and punish game if their opponent is unable to KO the partner climber quickly. Despite

notably prevalent in competitive play, whether as part of a true combo or to punish an opponent air dodging out of those moves. The new rage mechanic naturally

when Bowser lands with his shell, which makes the move slightly harder to punish. He also grants intangibility on his arms and legs in midair (frames 14-60)

to counter with attacks alone, although its ending lag makes it easily punished. If used in the air, the move has an extremely laggy ending animation regardless

the backward bounce upon hitting a foe preventing the attack from being punished with a shield grab, it is still generally unsafe due to its long lag making

fighters to tied for the 11th highest out of 39, making it easier for him to punish out of shield. Mario's air speed is higher (0.86 → 0.94), improving his

undisputed best Peach player of all time. Armada was known for his unforgiving punish and edgeguarding game, and for holding positive matchups against almost

vulnerable, it may even get players unaware of this obscure mechanic's existence punished for trying to use a getup attack near food. Food comes in many varieties

has more ending lag and is significantly weaker, making it much easier to punish and far less reliable for KOing, eliminating one of her most useful KO moves

Kong include most of his attacks having heavy ending lag (making it easy to punish most of his attacks if he misses), being very vulnerable to meteor smash

floating low to the ground and using retreating aerials makes her difficult to punish, and this greatly helps her own approach as well, because with good spacing

and long start and end lag render Ike vulnerable to many combo setups and punishes. His tall height is also considered a drawback, as it makes his hurtbox

attacks, but it has high ending lag, is predictable, and an opponent can punish him with a grab. It is useful as a surprise KO move, and on stages with

too confident or too hesitant with this move, which can probably get one punished. Overall, up tilt is too situational of a move to be used properly unless

through momentum canceling, and significantly increases the chance of getting punished for landing a hit. While some players argue in support of the mechanic

longer, this means that Kirby either has to use his grab or back aerial to punish a majority of moves out of shield. Kirby's damage output and KO potential

Mechakoopas will deactivate if colliding with a shield, making him susceptible to punishes, and as his traction is among the lowest in the game, this gives him a

projectiles with low cooldown, as it has enough ending lag for an opponent to punish K.Rool if they dodge the reflected projectile. It is also possible to reflect

opponents, but must be careful when throwing out normal attacks to avoid being punished due to the end lag that many of them have, thus making it a patient fighter

generous edge sweetspot range, making it hard for certain characters to 2 frame punish them, and due to its deceptive startup hitbox, it can be used to gimp off-stage

an attack in the cases where Marth would commonly use Counter, and then punish him with a grab or delayed powerful attack such as a charged smash. Another

used to reflect a wave of incoming projectiles such as Falco's laser, to punish camping. In Melee, the technique is known as power shielding (named for

Kong's traction is higher (0.0567 (1.7) → 0.08), making it easier for him to punish out of shield. Donkey Kong's jumpsquat is shorter (6 frames → 5). Donkey

its hitboxes make it extremely unsafe on hit, allowing Luigi to be easily punished or grabbed when he hits someone with the move, while the move is also expectedly

Swordfighter will bounce back, giving it some shield safety, although this can be punished if the opponent knows how it interacts. Against non-shielding opponents

longest tech rolls and ledge rolls in the game, which can make her hard to punish even if a roll is expected. These attributes give her overall good mobility

pressure and poke with his tilts and aerials without leaving himself open to punishes. His Blaster, despite being nerfed, is an invaluable tool in Fox's arsenal

recovery options. Dancing Blade is a four-hit combo that can be used to punish sidesteps and rolls, as well as effectively rack up damage. The final upward

speed, power, reach, or hitbox placement, giving him a powerful neutral and punish game. He also has great comboing ability, having combo starters such as

provides respectable vertical recovery and its first hit can be used to punish aerial and post-recovery opponents by spiking them at point-blank with the

also makes his poor traction much more of a liability, as the inability to punish out of shield exacerbates approaching and mobility problems. The introduction

is a strategy that limits the opponent's options and provides a chance to punish their reaction. Using his down aerial in a short hop is also a good approach

above Falcon. This move comes out fast as well, and is great to approach or punish. Falcon Kick, as with Falcon Punch, has its fire effects rendered as 2D

to read an opponent; a fighter may read an opponent's action and input a punish, but instead, the opponent trips, keeping them out of the reach of the attack

auto-canceling with short hops, which weakens his options to approach or punish opponents. His other aerials (except forward aerial) have increased landing

utility and/or KO power, while the speed of his moves allows him to easily punish opponents out of shield. However, Falco's neutral game has been drastically

scaling and vertical launch angle, and is also very susceptible to being punished on whiff, while not being very safe on shield even if he somehow crosses

attacks; while this can be alleviated with L-cancelling, they can still be punished, requiring Link players to carefully set up combos and KO moves. Link also

of the cast. This means that Donkey Kong can no longer get a guaranteed punish on his opponent if he breaks out of their grab. The changes to hitstun canceling

Snake's traction is higher (0.0542 → 0.08). This makes it easier for him to punish out of shield but shortens the distance of his new wavedash. Jump squat

to disciplinary action if proven to have occurred. Cheating is usually punished if discovered, though not every situation is black and white. Not all cases

higher shieldstun at close range, which makes her slightly more difficult to punish out of shield compared to Marth's sourspotted moves. Lastly, Lucina is slightly

dropped and any attempt by the opponent to approach would be instantly punished with the Final Smash. As of the 4.0.0 update, a charged FS Meter now has

as aforementioned, which foes can easily use as an amplified and deadly punish. Battering items such as the Fan, Lip's Stick, or the Beam Sword have their

top of this, the move has lots of endlag, meaning missing it is an easy punish for your opponents. This is offset by the fact that it has the capability

is rather small, making it only good at surprise, quickly get downward or punish laggy moves. Falcon Dive sends him upwards with some horizontal movement

Electroshock Arm, which can grant him opportunities to net KOs in the form of hard punishes. Nevertheless, Dark Pit's differences from Pit are not all that significant

are directly touching him, which hampers his juggle ability and overall punish game, and gives him a hard time hitting smaller characters. Finally, his

possibly allowing for a powerful punish if the opponent tries to jump in. This gives Donkey Kong better bait and punish tactics that would otherwise be

up in landing lag by the time Mario's down aerial ends, allowing Mario to punish them. This means only characters with fast attacks can reliably escape the