Semi-spike

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A semi-spike or pseudo-spike is Spike that does not send the opponent totally downward but in a horizontal trajectory which then (due to gravity) will turn into a vertical trajectory. Before the vertical trajectory and after the horizontal trajectory a semi-spike will make a quarter circle trajectory (see diagram 1), for the attack to be considered a semi-spike the player must be able to act within this quarter circle trajectory but before the vertical trajectory, some attacks may have a different trajectory and send the opponent angled downwards this results in a recoverable attack at low percentages but with considerable edgeguarding danger due to being hit off the stage; DI'ing them correctly will only alter the angle just slightly and shorten the send-off angle. This is distinct from a spike, which sends the enemy straight down without a prior horizontal trajectory.

File:Semi-spike1.JPG

Diagram 1: The black line represents the trajectory of the target. Within the blue square the target regains the ability to act.

Semi-spikes' structure is altered greatly by damaged and at certain percentages some attacks can't be considered as one.

Moves that are semi-spikes include (but are not limited to):

• Bowser:
  • Back Aerial (Melee only) - Has pseudo-spike properties, but high ending lag combined with Bowser's poor vertical recovery make it a very risky edgeguard maneuver. His bair has more power and is less risky in Brawl, but lost its pseudo-spike properties.

• Captain Falcon:
  • Up Aerial - The hitbox at his foot at the end of the animation pseudo-spikes opponents. It is less effective then Ganondorf's uair.
  • Forward Aerial (During sourspot) - You are better off sweetspotting the knee for edgeguarding, but it isn't always a easy task, especially in Brawl.

• Dr. Mario:
  • Back Aerial - Has set knockback properties, Dr.Mario can attack with this twice and recover despite his poor recover.

• Fox:
  • Shine - Has set knockback in Melee. Has set knockback properties in Brawl, but once the opponent approaches 100%, it hits with increasing knockback. Much more effective on characters with poor recoveries.

• Ganondorf:
  • Up Aerial - The hitbox at his foot at the end of the animation pseudo-spikes opponents. It is stronger and produces more hitstun than Captain Falcon's uair. It is one of the best and most known pseudo-spikes in both Melee and Brawl, it complements Ganondorf's already deadly edgeguard game.
  • Forward tilt (Brawl only) - The only f-tilt pseudo-spike in the series. It is the second strongest pseudo-spike in Brawl, but its poor vertical reach limits it's edgeguard capabilities.

• Jigglypuff:
  • Down Smash - Low start-up lag and good power for a pseudo-spike. It has noticable ending lag and very short reach, Jigglypuff is better off using her WoP for edgeguarding.

• Link:
  • Up B (NTSC Melee only) - Hitting someone with it after the initial hitbox pseudo-spikes them. Very powerful, fast, and good reach, it is the strongest and could be considered the best pseudo-spike in Melee (on par with Shiek's fair).

• Lucas:
  • Down Tilt - Similar to Ness's d-tilt, but is slightly stronger (still can't KO at 999%, howwever). It is impratical for edgeguarding as it has very short reach and produces no knockback at realistic percentages.

• Marth:
  • Down Tilt - When tipped, it pseudo-spikes the opponent. Fast, good reach, and decent power makes this a effective edgeguarder, especially against those who try sweetspotting the edge. It is even faster in Brawl, but shorter reach and Brawl's physics make it less effective.
  • Up Smash (Brawl only) - When Marth hits someone with his running up smash, it sends his opponents on a bizarre horizontal trajectory. It useless for edgeguarding, but it is effective at setting up edgeguard situations at low percentages, especially since Marth is one of the best edgeguarders in the game. On a interesting note, Marth's up smash only send opponents at low to mid percentages horizontally. Once they approach 70%, it only sends opponents vertically, no matter what part of the up smash connects.

• Meta Knight:
  • Down Aerial - Very fast and has almost no ending lag, Meta Knight can WoP opponents with his dair. This, combined with its decent power and Meta Knight's multiple jumps, make it arguably the best pseudo-spike in Brawl, if not, the most versatile.
  • Aerial Shuttle Loop - Has set knockback properties. No start-up lag and strong initial knockback make it arguably the deadliest pseudo-spike in Brawl. Excellent anti-edgeguard maneuver, this move is the reason Meta Knight is the riskiest character to edgeguard. It is a very effective edgeguarder, but is risky. Most effective at edgeguarding opponents recovering from above.

• Mr. Game & Watch:Has the most semi-spikes in Brawl
  • Chef - Pseudo-spikes opponents who make contact with the frying pan with low power. It is not effective as a edgeguarder due to its short reach and slow start-up lag.
  • A 6 with Judge - Pseudo-spikes opponents with good power accompany by fire damage. It is noticable for being the only other judgement other then #9 that is actually useful. It is deadly to recovering opponents.
  • Sourspotted down smash - It is fast, powerful, and has good reach, it is very effective at edgeguarding. Even though its sweetspot sends opponents vertically, it is still effective at edgeguarding as its sweetspot is so powerful, it KOs everyone under 100%.
  • Down Tilt (Brawl only) - Has set knockback properties. It is effective at edgeguarding as it is fast, has good reach, and has a long-lasting hitbox.

• Peach:
  • Forward Smash (Only the tennis racket) - When sweetspotted in Brawl, it is the strongest pseudo-spike in the game. Otherwise, it is weak. It is unreliable for edgeguarding dued to its short reach and random nature but is potentially deadly.

• Pikachu:
  • Up Aerial - It pseudo-spikes somewhat weakly if you connect the tip of Pikachu's tail but it is fast. It is almost useless in Brawl for edgeguarding as it is even weaker, more difficult to land, and send opponents upwards if the non pseudo-spike hitbox connects.

• Sheik:
  • Final Smash - Obviously it cannot be use for edgeguarding in standard matches.
  • Forward Aerial - Shiek quickly swipes her hand in front of her, pseudo-spiking the opponent. Extremely fast and powerful, it was the most well-known and feared pseudo-spike in Melee, despite its short reach and short-lasting hitbox (it is on par with Link's up B for being the best pseudo-spike in Melee). It still pseudo-spikes in Brawl, but was weakened significantly weakened.

• Sonic:
  • Up Smash - Some hitboxes send the opponent away in a pseudo-spike like trajectory, but very weakly. It is useless for edgeguarding.

• Yoshi:
  • Down tilt - It has set knockback in both Melee and Brawl. It is fast and has decent reach, it can be useful for edgeguarding. More useful in Melee then Brawl.

• Wario:
  • Down Tilt (Wario-Man only) - Very fast and powerful, it cannot be used in standard matches for obvious reasons.

• Zelda:
  • Down Smash - Very fast and it has good power for a pseudo-spike. It's short reach limits its edgeguard capabilities but can still be effective. Much stronger in Brawl then it is in Melee.
  • Final Smash - Same as Shiek's.

• Other
  • Hitting someone with a thrown Star Rod.
  • Getting hit while holding someone near the edge will semi-spike the person begin held at higher percentages.

The Mario Bros' Pseudo Spike

The Mario Brothers' Pseudo-Spike occurs when the last hit of the Mario Tornado (normally rising) hits an opponent. This can occur sometimes when an opponent tries to jump out to edge guard. It is a very powerful spike with extremely high downwards knockback, most characters die from it at low percentages.

Other definition

Both Mario and Luigi can "spike" an opponent with repeated down aerials. This involves hitting the opponent with the dair repeatedly off the edge and then taking advantage of Mario and Luigi's huge vertical recoveries to get back on the stage. This does not work against Pikachu, who has a longer and faster vertical recovery than either Mario or Luigi.

Notes

• Only works with the last (the powerful hit) of the tornado
• Only works with the bottom of that hitbox
• If it is at the top, it will send the opponent straight up
• Normally only occurs when the opponent accidentally misses an air and hits into the pseudo-spike
• If any of the other hits hit alone, it sends the opponent to the left or right with medium low knockback