Bowser (SSBM)/Spot dodge
Overview[edit]
Bowser leans back on his right foot, becoming intangible for about ⅓ of a second. This move is rarely seen at all in Bowser's toolkit in competitive play, partially because Bowser has a far superior out of shield option in his up special, and partially because the move itself is bad; while it gives 21 intangibility frames (the second longest, only behind Donkey Kong), this is the move's only positive and not enough to outweigh its negatives. The main issue is its sluggishness: it has the most start-up of any spot dodge in the game at 3 frames, the 2nd-most end lag (only behind Mr. Game & Watch's spot dodge), and the longest move length at slightly over ⅔ of a second.
The move's duration is so long that it loses to the median dash grab length of 39 frames, meaning it's possible for Fox to attempt to dash grab Bowser, miss because of the spot dodge, and punish Bowser with Shine on reaction when the Fox player realizes the grab missed. However, it can be noted that this is only if both the grab and spot dodge are activated on the same frame; Bowser can tip the scales back in his favor by activating spot dodge earlier, thus minimizing the amount of frame advantage his opponent can get. It's also worth noting that this doesn't apply to tether grabs, which typically have far longer durations, both from standing and a dash.
Timing[edit]
| Intangible | 4-24 |
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| Animation length | 42 |
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.png){kind=small} Vulnerable |
Intangible |
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