Momentum canceling: Difference between revisions

The following are detailed descriptions of each special move that aids momentum canceling, in terms of characteristics, effectiveness, usefulness, and risk.

[[R.O.B. (SSBB)|R.O.B]]'s side special very mildly negates horizontal momentum, but does not move him far or put him into a [[helpless]] state. While only marginally beneficial, it does not pose any threats to R.O.B's recovery.

When combined with his up aerial, the fastest aerial in the game, [[Meta Knight (SSBB)|Meta Knight]]'s side special negates a substantial amount of horizontal momentum without [[DI]], surpassed only by Donkey Kong's Spinning Kong. However, the use of DI provides very little extra benefit, allowing Meta Knight to survive at damages only 4% higher than instances in which DI is not used. The effectiveness of Drill Rush is further limited by the helpless state it leaves Meta Knight in, which can leave him vulnerable, especially when his slow horizontal air speed is taken into consideration.

[[Yoshi (SSBB)|Yoshi]]'s side special negates a large amount of horizontal momentum, it is surpassed in this field only by Spinning Kong and Oil Panic, and it often allows Yoshi to survive potentially fatal blows if its first few frames are activated. Along with Oil Panic and Spinning Kong, it is the only special move that can negate vertical momentum as well as horizontal. However, its drawbacks hinder its effectiveness to the point of rendering it impractical under most circumstances.

While Egg Roll almost completely negates horizontal momentum, it does not give Yoshi any horizontal boost back toward the stage, it takes a long time to end the move, and renders him helpless upon its completion. Yoshi can never recover back to a neutral stage, even with his exceptional horizontal air speed. When momentum canceling vertically, Yoshi can survive longer by using the basic method and does not need Egg Roll. Overall, this move's usefulness for momentum canceling is very limited, since it is only practical to use on "walk-off" stages, or stages on which a [[blast line]] is very close to an edge.

[[Ganondorf (SSBB)|Ganondorf]]'s side special negates horizontal momentum a small amount. Without DI, Ganondorf cannot return to the edge of any neutral stage after being knocked horizontally. With DI, it is possible to return to the edge of some stages, but if he is knocked too close to a side blast line, on such a stage as [[Final Destination (SSBB)|Final Destination]], this possibility diminishes. Flame Choke puts Ganondorf in a helpless state, thus, even if he is close enough to a stage to recover using the move, he will become an easy target for opponents due to his large size and slow air speed. All things considered, Flame Choke's usefulness for momentum canceling is minimal; it only negates a small amount of momentum, and Ganondorf can rarely make safe returns to stages after using it.

Like Diddy Kong's Monkey Flip, [[Zero Suit Samus (SSBB)|Zero Suit Samus]]' down special can negate horizontal momentum without putting her into a helpless state. It negates less momentum than Monkey Flip, and is only slightly beneficial in comparison to use of the basic method, but it is safe to use.

[[Diddy Kong (SSBB)|Diddy Kong]]'s side special is relatively fast, negates horizontal momentum a decent amount, and does not render him helpless. As such, it can be considered one of the best horizontal momentum canceling moves in the game.

[[Mr. Game & Watch (SSBB)|Mr. Game & Watch]]'s down special is considered the best move in the game for momentum canceling: its use for this purpose even has its own special name, [[Bucket Braking]]. Oil Panic cancels all momentum on its first [[frame]], both horizontal and vertical, thus, as long as Mr. G&W has enough time to use the move, his movement will halt and restrain him from crossing any nearby blast line. Oil Panic is also an extremely low risk move, as it does not move Mr. G&W in any direction or render him helpless. This allows him to make a safe recovery, and prevents opponents from attacking him while the move is executed. Mastery of this technique is essential for competitive G&W players. It should be noted that Oil Panic will not momentum cancel when the bucket is full.

Alongside Spin Charge and Quick Draw, [[Jigglypuff (SSBB)|Jigglypuff]]'s side special is one of only three special moves that will aid a character with the use of DI, but provide no benefit without it. Pound negates horizontal momentum a very small amount, but it does not leave Jigglypuff helpless, thus, its use is safe.

[[Sonic (SSBB)|Sonic]]'s down special is another of three special moves that assist horizontal momentum canceling with the use of DI, but are of no benefit without it. Its momentum canceling effects are minimal, and it moves Sonic toward the stage, which can be hazardous. However, he will move quickly and Spin Charge will not induce helplessness, so the move is relatively safe.

Overall the second best momentum canceling move in the game, second only to Oil Panic, [[Donkey Kong (SSBB)|Donkey Kong]]'s [[up special move]], Spinning Kong, completely negates all momentum upon its first frame of activation, both horizontal and vertical momentum. This, in combination with his fast back aerial and his heavy weight, allows him to survive longer than every other character in the game when knocked horizontally, including Bowser. It puts him in a [[helpless]] state however, which is the reason Oil Panic is considered superior. Its landing lag may also leave DK vulnerable upon his return to the stage, but Spinning Kong can always cover the distance required to return to any neutral stage after momentum canceling. It also negates vertical momentum as well, but is impractical for this task other than getting hit diagonally upward as a result of DIing upwards as it leaves Donkey Kong helpless and Donkey Kong can survive longer vertically through the basic method.

The [[Ice Climbers (SSBB)|Ice Climbers']] side special will negate horizontal momentum a small amount. When using the move together, the Ice Climbers are able to return to the stage, but a solo Climber cannot. Squall Hammer is moderately risky when used for momentum canceling, as it puts Ice Climbers into a helpless state upon its completion, which can be dangerous.

[[King Dedede (SSBB)|King Dedede]]'s up special negates a decent amount of horizontal momentum, despite projecting him upwards. When using the move to momentum cancel, Dedede cannot return to neutral stages without DI. It is possible to do so with DI, but this may require the player to carefully time its cancel in order to grab a ledge without [[self destruct]]ing. The Super Dedede Jump moves Dedede quickly, and it can be difficult for an unprepared opponent to punish. However, its use it still risky, as performing it without the use of DI is often fatal, and using the move after being knocked offstage by too weak a hit can result in punishment.

[[Pikachu (SSBB)|Pikachu]]'s side special negates horizontal momentum moderately, and does not leave him helpless. The move has a large amount of ending lag, so its use could leave Pikachu close the stage and vulnerable to reactive opponents if used after non-lethal knockback. However, Skull Bash is still considered one of the safer momentum canceling moves.

Pikachu's up special negates horizontal momentum exactly as well as Skull Bash, but is inferior for this task as it leaves Pikachu [[helpless]]. It is interesting to note that Pikachu is the only character with two special moves that benefit his horizontal momentum canceling ability more than the use of the basic method.

[[Ike (SSBB)|Ike]]'s side special is another of three special moves that assist horizontal momentum canceling with the use of DI, but are of no benefit without it. Unlike the other two, it negates a large amount of horizontal momentum with DI, however, it also leaves Ike helpless and vulnerable, and its use without DI is fatal. For maximum benefit, Ike must successfully use an air dodge to end tumbling, which requires different timing and faster reflexes in comparison to the use of aerial attacks. While its momentum negation properties are strong, Quick Draw is very risky and difficult to perform correctly and safely.

The following video demonstrates the momentum canceling of Donkey Kong's Spinning Kong.