Villager (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Villager is ranked 25th out of 54 characters on the official [[tier list]], placing him in C tier. Villager's most prevalent advantages are his powerful zoning and camping games, both of which are among the strongest in the game, thanks to his forward aerial and back aerials having excellent range. Pocket notably helps Villager counteract projectiles and opposing camping, and allows him to use enemy projectiles against them. Additionally, Villager has a very strong edgeguarding game, with both his forward smash and Timber being notable in this aspect. Villager also has one of the safest and longest recoveries in the game, being able to return to the stage safely.

However, Villager has noticeable flaws. The most serious of them is his KO potential, as his strongest KOing options are burdened with slow speed, punishable amounts of lag, inability to be comboed into, or all three. Villager is also burdened with poor movement, due to his below-average [[dashing]] and aerial speeds. Villager also has poor options when fighting in close range, due to a slow, punishable [[grab]] and rather slow, unsafe tilts, and can also be countered by characters who can reflect or negate projectiles, such as {{SSB4|Rosalina}}. Although less impactful, characters that do not have projectiles hinder Pocket’s effectiveness.

Overall, Villager's stage control and edgeguarding options have allowed him to achieve strong tournament results, especially in Japan, largely thanks to {{Sm|Ranai}}, and he is considered to be a viable high-tier character. Despite this, Villager's results and representation plummeted from the fact that his best player, {{Sm|Ranai}}, has been inactive throughout the later half of 2017. Due to this, Villager's viability has been contested throughout the game's lifespan.

Villager is an unorthodox character with several unique moves, including several standard attacks that are actually projectiles, similar to {{SSB4|Mega Man}}.

Villager possesses a strong [[camping]] game. His forward and backward aerials are long-ranged slingshot attacks which, in combination with [[Lloid Rocket]], are great for harassing opponents from a distance. Opposing projectiles can either be [[Pocket]]ed or blocked by a [[Timber|tree]]; Pocket can also be used to "steal" character-generated [[item]]s such as {{SSB4|R.O.B.}}'s [[Gyro]], preventing them from being used as long as Villager keeps them and thus further weakening the opponent's ability to compete with him at range. One caveat, though, is that Villager is a character of below-average mobility; in particular, he has the fourth slowest [[dash]]ing speed in the game (albeit still noticeably faster than the bottom three), so once the opponent closes the gap it can be difficult for Villager to create space again. Despite this, Villager possesses three [[sex kick]]s out of his five aerial moves of which all have quick startups, giving him a relatively easy time knocking away an enemy if they approach to point blank range.

Should camping not be desirable, Villager's projectiles can also serve as good [[approach]] tools. In particular, launching Lloid Rocket and then running behind it 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 option, as it is a [[disjointed]] attack with little [[lag]].

Despite being a middleweight character, Villager possesses arguably the best [[recovery]] in the game thanks to {{b|Balloon Trip|move}}. This move allows him to fly a great distance at a respectable speed, and is surprisingly difficult to [[gimp]]; although the balloons can be popped to render Villager [[helpless]], doing so requires two separate hits, and hitting Villager himself will allow him to simply use the move again. Lloid Rocket further bolsters Villager's recovery, as launching it stalls his descent while threatening edgeguarders. Alternatively, Villager can ride Lloid back to the stage, although this is punishable and can be [[reflect]]ed.

Villager is also a very potent [[edgeguard]]er, with a wealth of options to finish recovering foes. His forward smash allows him to drop a bowling ball from the ledge; this is a powerful attack that can be difficult for an opponent recovering low to avoid. If the opponent's recovery is slow enough or a tree is set up beforehand, [[Timber]] can also be used from the ledge for an even more devastating attack, or to reduce an opponent's options should they grab the ledge. Alternatively, Villager can jump offstage and pursue with an aerial attack; his down aerial is a powerful [[meteor smash]] should it produce three turnips, while a clean hit from his slingshot has enough knockback to be deadly near the [[blast line]], and is generally the best choice against an opponent recovering high. Many of his aerials are [[sex kick]]s as well which, when combined with his extremely long-ranged recovery, allows him to [[gimp]] opponents pretty easily.

However, Villager's ability to set up edgeguards in the first place is hampered by his slow [[grab]]. Although his net has relatively long range, it is one of the laggiest grabs in the game, making it very punishable. As such, attempting to throw an opponent offstage is a risky prospect, and Villager's ability to shield-grab is quite limited, although he does have other good [[out of shield]] options, such as his neutral aerial.

Outside of edgeguarding, Villager has multiple powerful KO moves, but none of them are easy to land from a [[neutral game|neutral situation]]. His forward smash, while powerful, is a laggy and short-ranged attack when used onstage. Lloid Rocket has KO power when ridden, but this is slow and predictable. Timber's axe requires a tree to be present and has considerable ending lag, while using the tree itself is slow and requires staying in one place. Villager's up aerial is a strong [[juggling]] move and can score KOs off the upper blast line, but only if luck permits. Pocketing and throwing back a sufficiently strong projectile makes for a deadly attack, generally enough to KO at mid percentages and even instantly shatter full [[shield]]s, but this is matchup-dependent and will not be easily allowed by a smart opponent. Overall, if the opponent maintains control of center stage, Villager can have trouble finding KO opportunities.

Villager has a versatile selection of custom moves. Pocket Plus and Garden are less powerful than standard Pocket, but have advantages that make them more useful for some matchups. Pushy Lloid's size and multi-hit nature make it harder for opponents to get past. Extreme Balloon Trip has Villager fly slower, but the balloons explode when they burst, making it very risky for the opponent to attempt an edgeguard while giving Villager a vertical boost that compensates for the move's reduced speed. The most notable and rather infamous custom move however, is Timber Counter. Timber Counter allows Villager to place a [[trip]]ping hazard which, unlike [[Banana Peel]]s, cannot be removed by any opponent short of another Villager, allowing for strong stage control. By combining these custom moves, Villager can significantly enhance his already potent camping abilities, making him very difficult to approach. He does, however, give up some offensive ability in the process, and some players may prefer his more balanced default moveset.

Villager is considered a solid character by many in [[competitive play]] widely thanks to the best Villager player in the world, {{sm|Ranai}}. However, outside of Japan, his representation is rather poor.