Lock

Sonic performing a jab lock on R.O.B.

A lock is a technique in Super Smash Bros. Brawl where one character can repeatedly use a move or sequence of moves to place another character in an infinite after a character hits the floor while tumbling. The term is also used for the repeated usage of a single move that traps a character (ex: Sheik's forward tilt, Zelda's down tilt, and Snake's forward tilt).

Cause

A lock is caused due to certain moves causing a character to bounce when they are on the ground after a missed tech, preventing them from using one of their wake up options long enough for the other player to hit them again with another move that can cause a lock. Also, after a character has bounced, they cannot use any wakeup options other than the standard get up, leaving them completely vulnerable to attack.

This only works in Brawl and SSB4 because in previous games characters instantly stand up when hit by a weak attack.

Starting a lock

Starting a lock is often the hardest part, as most skilled players will tech before hitting the ground. Surprise attacks or other means of causing a character to fall to the ground can work, as well as taking advantage of Brawl's tech mechanics. Footstooling an airborne opponent at the right height will prevent them from being able to tech, though the upwards momentum can cause the footstooler to be unable to follow up with a lock depending on their character. For some characters, it is possible to fast fall an aerial with lock properties to cause a single bounce, then follow up with a jab lock or repeatable move.

Types of locks

Jab lock

The most common type of lock is the jab lock, which can be performed by multiple characters. As the name states, it is done by hitting a fallen character with a jab, stepping forward, and hitting them again. The locked player can be moved to the end of the stage, where the active player generally hits them with a charged smash attack as they stand up. Generally it is done with only the first hit of the jab, but some characters can do it with the second hit as well. If one attacks too soon after each bounce, or use a move without lock properties, the character will snap to a standing position.

Other locks

Other moves besides jabs can cause a character to bounce in the same way. Some of them are fast enough to be repeated like the jab locks, while others cannot be repeated fast enough to keep the opponent in the locked position or have knockback scaling that causes the opponent to be launched at higher percents, allowing for a charged smash attack or other powerful attack as the character stands up. Some moves will move a character across the stage faster than others, causing smaller damage buildup.

Laser lock

A commonly used lock is Falco's laser lock, which, unlike other locks, has enough range to hit and lock characters on level ground with Falco regardless of distance (assuming tournament legal maps). Larger stages like Bridge of Eldin can cause a character to move far enough away that Falco's lasers cannot reach them. Also unlike other locks, Falco cannot always follow up with a KO move because of distance, reducing the effectiveness of the laser lock to damage building only.

Not all characters can be laser locked, due to the height of their character model while lying down. For other characters, it is dependent on which way they fall, since the height of the hitbox can change if they fall on their face or on their back.

Kirby using Falco's lasers will shoot them lower, allowing him to lock more characters than Falco can.

In Brawl

Jab locks

• Donkey Kong
• Diddy Kong (appears only to work on big characters like Bowser, and can only lock at a certain part of the hitbox)
• Ike (only works on certain parts of the hitbox, and due to Ike's speed, small changes in the set-up can allow the victim to break out of it)
• Jigglypuff (both first and second hits of jab)
• King Dedede
• Kirby
• Link
• Mario
• Marth (only a very specific part of the hitbox)
• Meta Knight (against a wall)
• Ness
• Pikachu
• Samus
• Snake (only certain hitboxes)
• Sonic
• Squirtle (both the first and second hits can lock)
• Yoshi

Other locks

• Diddy Kong: Peanut Popgun
• Fox: neutral aerial, forward tilt
• Ice Climbers: Ice Shot (can lock indefinitely if properly desynched)
• Jigglypuff: neutral aerial, forward aerial
• Kirby: down tilt, neutral aerial (late)
• Lucas: down tilt
• Luigi: forward tilt (angled down) (can lock indefinitely)
• Mario: neutral aerial, Fireball
• Meta Knight: down tilt, neutral aerial (late)
• Ness: down tilt (against a wall)
• Peach: back aerial, neutral aerial
• Pikachu: Quick Attack (can be repeated with Quick Attack Cancel, known as QAC lock)
• R.O.B.: down tilt (against a wall)
• Sheik: back aerial, neutral aerial, Needle Storm
• Squirtle: forward tilt
• Wolf: neutral aerial, back aerial
• Yoshi: neutral aerial (late)
• Zero Suit Samus: dash attack, forward tilt

In SSB4

Jab Locks are still possible in SSB4. However, the opponent can only be hit three times before being freed.

Locks

• Bowser Jr.: jab
• Captain Falcon: forward tilt, Knee (sourspot)
• Charizard: neutral aerial
• Dark Pit: Down Aerial, Forward Tilt
• Diddy Kong: forward tilt
• Donkey Kong: jab, forward tilt, down tilt, neutral aerial (late)
• Dr. Mario: Forward Tilt
• Duck Hunt: forward tilt
• Falco: forward tilt, Blaster
• Fox: forward tilt, neutral aerial
• Ganondorf: up aerial (sourspot)
• Greninja: forward tilt, back aerial (excluding last hit)
• Ike: down aerial
• Jigglypuff: forward tilt, down aerial (first hit)
• King Dedede: jab
• Kirby: forward tilt
• Link: neutral aerial, Hero's Bow
• Little Mac: down aerial
• Lucina: down aerial (meteor hitbox)
• Luigi: Fireball, forward tilt
• Mario: jab, forward tilt, neutral aerial (sourspot), back aerial
• Marth: down aerial (meteor hitbox)
• Mega Man: jab, forward tilt
• Meta Knight: down tilt
• Mii Brawler: forward tilt, neutral aerial (sourspot)
• Mii Swordfighter: forward tilt
• Mr. Game & Watch: forward aerial (sourspot)
• Ness: jab, forward tilt
• Olimar: forward aerial
• Pac-Man: forward tilt, forward aerial
• Palutena: Autoreticle
• Peach: neutral aerial (sourspot)
• Pikachu: jab, forward tilt, down tilt
• Pit: down aerial
• R.O.B.: forward tilt, down tilt
• Robin: Thunder, first stage
• Rosalina & Luma: down aerial, back aerial (sourspot)
• Ryu: Hadoken, standard or input
• Samus: forward tilt
• Sonic: jab, down tilt
• Shulk: forward aerial, back aerial, down aerial (only at low percentage and depends on the art, sometimes depending on Art Cancelling)
• Toon Link: forward tilt, Hero's Bow, neutral aerial
• Villager: neutral aerial, forward aerial
• Wario: forward aerial
• Yoshi: jab, neutral aerial (late), forward aerial (sourspot)
• Zelda: forward/back aerial (sourspot)
• Zero Suit Samus: forward tilt

Videos

• The jab lock
• Falco's laser lock
• Demonstration of several characters performing locks
• Peach's floating aerial locks
• Jiggylpuff's double jab lock, with footstool setup
• Marth's jab lock
• Lucas's down tilt lock
• Pikachu's QAC lock followed with a jab lock
• Pikachu Jab Lock set-ups in Smash 4, courtesy of ESAM

See also

• Jab reset