Edge-guard breaking

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A guard break is a set of techniques in all three Super Smash Bros. games which counters an edgeguard. As edge guarding strategies have evolved and generalized from personal style, guard breaking strategies have developed in response. For technical reasons, if the grounded player is allowing the airborne player to recover (i.e there is no guard) then logically there is no break. A recovery that does not take place close to an edge is also not considered a break, even if a guard is in place (i.e Pit’s Wings of Icarus floating beyond a guard and landing, while effective and preferable to a break, is not considered a break).

General Strategies

While breaks and guards are character and stage specific, there are some general strategies against certain types of guard.

Spike Guard

A character with a potent spike will often try and get a low damage KO on a guard centered around a spike, especially if the character lacks other good guards, such as Donkey Kong. This is broken by avoiding being under the guarder, but if that is not the case, it is important to disrupt the oncoming spike with an up aerial. Dodging to avoid a spike guard can break the guard, but is not always advisable because mistiming will result in the spike landing. Additionally, the positioning of the dodge in relation to the edge could put the guarded in a position where recovery is impossible if mistimed.

Grab Guard

Characters with strong side (and even up) throws will try to guard by grabbing the guarded on the approach. This can be broken by dodging at the critical time, sweet-spotting the edge, or swift timing of a forward aerial. Be aware that a grab guard is not restricted to the approach, unlike other guards, and so a grab guard can be continued if both characters are still positioned near the edge even after a break was successful. To preclude a continuation of the guard, it is advisable to grab the opponent first.

Smash Guard

This is a very basic and common guard. It is the preparation of a smash attack upon recovery, which may be charged. It can be broken with an aerial, a dodge or a sweet-spot on the edge. It does not prevent the recovery, but attempts to use the positioning of the guarded to send them off again. Oftentimes this guard is meant as a killing move because of the positioning, and the break should be executed with utmost care at higher damages. Generally, it is not attempted at low damages unless it is intended to be accompanied with another guard, such as a spike guard, or as a deterrence mechanism. Generally, in co-op matches, one player can edgehog while the other charges a smash attack, so a character like Fox or Lucario would be edgehogged or hit by a smash attack.

Projectile Guard

Characters with strong and directed projectiles such as Pit, Zelda, and Samus will use their projectiles to begin a guard as soon as the opponent is positioned far from the edge. Particularly against Zelda’s Din’s Fire, a break is very difficult. This is one of the few guards where positioning of the guard may be distanced from the ledge, making it more difficult to execute a successful break. Perfect dodging followed by a strong aerial or very careful sweet-spotting is required to break this guard. This can also be performed with items, or using items themselves as projectiles, but with substantially less efficacy and the break is identical.

Edge-Hogging

In order to put an opponent away for good, players will oftentimes grab the edge themselves in order to preclude sweet-spotting. The good news about this guard is that the guarder cannot attack. The bad news is that the guarded cannot sweet-spot, and the other bad news is that generally a guarder will not do this until the third jump has been executed, or unless the guarder is sure that the only possible recovery is with the ledge. (hint: Tether recovery) Generally, the guarded is in serious trouble. The only possible break is the use of a projectile or any attack at the perfect time, just after the invincibility frames have ceased, to hit the opponent and seize the ledge.

Off-Stage Guard

An off-stage guard is a risky but oftentimes effective method. It involves the guarder leaving the stage to attack with a powerful aerial to complete the kill. This is a fairly straightforward guard to break, which is to attack first and attack harder. Beware of the guarder employing edge-hogging if his off-stage guard fails, however. In Brawl, jumping on the guarders head is a very effective way of ending the guard, and if the guarded himself employs an edge-hog, then it could be fatal to the guarder.

Sacrificial KO "Break"

If you are using a character that has a useful Sacrificial KO, that can be used in lieu of a true guard break. Under this scenario, the guarded would assume that the risk of them being successfully edgegarded is too great to merit any effort towards the break. Instead, the player simply tries to drag the opponent off the stage with them. This is most easily done with Ganondorf, Kirby, or King Dedede, although it can also be done with Bowser and (in the case of an off-stage guard) Diddy Kong. For obvious reasons, this should not be used when you have only one stock left and your opponent has more than one.

Common Complex Guards and Their Breaks

Marth Guard

Marth is an exceptional edge guarder, possessing a good spike, smash, grab, and off-stage guard. Mostly, however, squaring off against a Marth Guard involves the use of Marth’s down tilt A, where he thrusts his sword forward, tipping the guarded and knocking them back. The best way to break this guard, if you cannot land above or behind him, is to save your Up B until you have passed below Marth and then use it. If successfully executed, it will knock Marth back some and allow you to grab the ledge. However, because Marth’s down tilt A is an intrinsic crouch cancel, he may still be able to attack you. Persist with the Up B. Marth often combines this with a counter, deterrence, mindgames, or other guards.

PK Fire Guard

This is generally limited to Ness because of the property of his PK Fire to trap an opponent. When the guarded is hit with PK Fire over the edge, it carries him downward in a trap, and generally prevents any jumping until the fire is extinguished. In certain stages, such as Jungle Japes, this guard can be fatal, and also sets Ness up for a spike. To break this guard, a good dodge is generally recommended, or a counter should the guarded have such a move in his moveset. It is advisable to take advantage of the limited range of the move, and if the guarded is trapped by the PK Fire, swiftness of any remaining jumps to a sweet-spot is required.

Din’s Fire Guard

Possibly the second hardest guard in the game to break, facing down a Din’s Fire Guard can be a pain. Generally, the Zelda player will begin spamming Din’s Fire the moment the guarded is exposed over the edge. Perfect timing of dodges is required, and care upon the approach is a necessity, as Zelda’s up aerial, up smash, forward smash, forward throw, down smash and dash attack can all return the guarded to his previous predicament, with more Din’s Fires sure to follow. The Zelda player will often explode the Din’s Fire at variable intervals to confuse the dodge timing, taking advantage of the large blast radius of the move. This is as much a mindgame as a physical requirement to break the guard. Sweet-spotting is likely the best way to approach, as the invincibility frames on rolling up and hanging on the ledge prevent Zelda from continuing the guard. Disrupting her Din’s Fire with a projectile, if possible, is also a useful tactic for breaking this guard. Some characters are unaffected by this due to the ability to infinitely hold a protective move, namely Ness/Lucas (PSI magnet), Falco/Fox/Wolf (Reflector) and Pit (Mirror Shield). Be warned about Falco, Fox and Wolf, since they are generally fast fallers with abysmal recovery and holding it too long may prevent recovery.

Falco Guard

Falco has a number of unique moves that combine for a unique edge guard. Falco will repeatedly fire his blaster to flinch the guarded on his jumps, and then on the approach use the reflector throw, which, at certain percentages, is swiftly followed by a spike. Because of the irritating blaster, this guard can be difficult to break. Reflecting or countering can occasionally be useful as the ledge is approached, but generally the break revolves around the ‘uppercut’ strategy discussed to break the Marth Guard. Fortunately, Falco’s blaster puts you in decent position to use this, allowing the guarded to pass below the ledge (stay out of range of the reflector throw) and then quickly use an Up B to knock Falco back and sweet-spot the ledge. Needless to say, failure of timing on the Up B will result in death, but a properly executed Falco Guard always results in death. Watch out for the spike on the approach, and also be wary that a prepared Falco can hit you with the reflector throw during the Up B, setting you up for death.

Wall of Pain

For an explanation of the guard, see the article on the Wall of Pain. Breaking the Wall of Pain should never be taken for granted, as if it is executed perfectly, the guarded will die. The only way to break the Wall of Pain is to attack with an aerial before the guarder (repeatedly), and as this requires the executor of the Wall to actually make a mistake, it must immediately be capitalized on. Jumping on the head of the executer is a must should the opportunity arise, and should generally be treated exactly as a standard off-stage guard break, because no better strategies exist. Breaking the Wall of Pain is not possible with all characters, and is made easier with a character with a good recovery and high priority aerials that come out quickly.

Fire Guard

Executable by Bowser and Charizard, this guard is simple but can be effective. It involves the use of Charizard and Bowser’s neutral B fire, which traps an opponent over the ledge and interrupts jumps. To break this guard, DO NOT use the ‘uppercut’ technique discussed above. Instead, attempt an aerial approach from above or, if the guarded must approach from below to recover, attempt to use a projectile to interrupt the attack, or an Up B while level with the guarder.

Pit Guard

A standard Pit guard consists of Palentuna's arrow, Angel Ring, and offstage edgeguarding. Just like in the Marth and Falco guards, going below and sweetspotting the edge is the best technique.

Mario Guard

A guard consisting of combinations of the Cape Glide, F.L.U.D.D., fireballs, and quick chainable areials. Mario's guarding revolves quite a bit on the cape to reverse the momentum of recovering opponents, but the Cape Glide can also be used to quickly guard with aerials. Mario's guard also largely involves the F.L.U.D.D.; the F.L.U.D.D. is used mostly as a momentum killer, but it can also be used to setup attacks, most notably the cape. Additionally, Mario can use fireballs, both for the purpose of disrupting recoveries and directly setting up additional guards. Mario can also use his quick aerials in succession with each other, while also retaining a powerful meteor. Defending against Mario's guarding is difficult due to the great versatility of his edgeguarding options, but characters who can recover very high, such as R.O.B., are fairly safe; unlike Marth, Falco, and Pit, it is not always best to recover from under the stage since Mario's Cape Glide can intercept most recoveries that attempt to recover from below.

Anticipating the Guard

Oftentimes in higher level play, an opponent will combine the different guards, which results in mindgames. It is crucial that the correct break is selected for the anticipated guard. For example, Falco could be in a crouching position, looking as if he is about to throw his reflector, but then come out quickly with a spike. Oftentimes when mindgames are engaged, a guarder will employ deterrence edge guarding, using a move as a bluff to alter the recovery of the guarded and put them in a position for another guard.

Anticipating the proper guard can be the trickiest part of guard breaking once the necessary strategies are memorized for each situation. There are some tips, however.

• Know the movesets of your character and the movesets of the guarder. If the opponent is, for example, Donkey Kong, whose only effective guard is a spike guard, be prepared to break that. Also take Zelda, who, if she does not throw a Din’s Fire, prepare an uppercut to preclude a grab guard or spike guard, both of which Zelda can execute effectively.
• Look for patterns. Oftentimes players prefer certain combinations/orders to their guards which do not easily change. The simplest example is of a player who only uses grab guards. Prepare to break a grab guard.
• Try not to get into a situation where a break is necessary. Obviously, recoveries will happen for every game, and this is not the point trying to be made. The point is, if a recovery can be executed without the need to attempt a break, such as Pit recovering with his Wings of Icarus rather than attempting to break a grab guard through Kirby, this is always preferable because of the inherent risk in attempting a break.
• Check the position of the guarder in respect to the ledge. This can occasionally betray the upcoming guard. If a guarder is literally all over the ledge, expect a smash or grab guard. If he is poised somewhat farther back, a spike guard is possible (as there is careful planning in jump timing and positioning required to properly execute a spike guard).
• Know your damage percentage. Most commonly, the type of guard depends on the damage of the guarded. If the damage is low, most guarders will go for the kill or rack up damage, so consider spike guards and projectile guards likely. Smash guards are very common at high damages. Grab guards, however, are equally possible among the circumstances and tend to vary more by character (with considerations, that is, mainly for the throw strength and damage of the guarding character).
• Check your position. If you were not knocked back far, projectile guards and smash guards are unlikely, nor are spike guards because they are only effective in a limited window and position. A character with limited inventory of guards will often go for a grab guard to set up a more effective guard on upcoming approaches. Edge hogging almost never occurs when the knockback was small. When the knockback is modest (as in, still in the screen but toward the edge of the scree) is when the largest inventory of guards are available to the guarder. Literally every guard, but grab guards are unusual as the guarder will generally opt for something with more power. Most commonly look for smash or spike guards, but this is overridden by a character that possesses a good projectile guard. This is also when most off-stage guards will occur. Finally, at large knockback, generally edge hogging, smash guards, or projectile guards may occur.