Mach Tornado
Mach Tornado is the name of Meta Knight's Standard Special Move. When activated, Meta Knight spins at high speed causing a slight pull on nearby opponents near him. He slashes them multiple times and traps them. This makes escape via Directional Influence difficult. When the Tornado is finished, the last hit dealt causes slightly more than moderate knockback, but can be very deadly if used near the top of the screen. Mach Tornado can be controlled, by pressing left or right to move in that direction, and going upwards is done by pressing B rapidly, which also extends the amount of time Meta Knight spins.
This is arguably Meta Knight's best recovery move; it all depends on position. If the player is far under the stage but very near to it, then Drill Rush (angled upward) or Shuttle Loop is probably the better choice. However, if the player is far away from the stage and under it (any distance up to almost magnified) then the Mach Tornado is the best choice providing Meta Knight has at least 1 jump left. If he does, then using a jump before the tornado will allow for more vertical height gain than if the player were to start the move whilst falling. Since it gains such a huge horizontal distance on top of a large vertical distance as well as being very high priority, this is one of the best recovery options in the game. However, something to note is that Meta Knight will bounce off of edges rather than grabbing them if he hits them while he is in the tornado. He also cannot grab edges during the first few frames of his falling animation out of the tornado.
Mach Tornado also has another use, of which is being able to destroy most projectiles it hits, save for a few of the larger projectiles and the Ice Climbers' Blizzard.
It can be broken by especially powerful moves, such as the Warlock Punch. Sonic's Homing Attack can also neutralize the Tornado, but doesn't deal a large amount of damage.
Origin
Control-wise, this move is like Kirby's "Tornado" ability that appears in many of the Kirby games. Holding B will make him gain height. Meta Knight first used it in Kirby Super Star, where he transformed into a yellow tornado to attack.
Mach Tornado also makes an appearance in Kirby Super Star Ultra, in the sub-game "Meta Knightmare Ultra" where the player controls Meta Knight. Mach Tornado is much more exaggerated in this appearance, as it creates an enormous pillar of swirling energy that splits into two and covers the entire screen, and it destroys all enemies on the screen and deals massive damage to bosses except final bosses.
