Grapple canceling
Grapple canceling is a technique available to Samus and several other characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The basis of it is the fact that midair Grapples are immediately canceled with no lag upon landing.
Execution
The easiest way to use the grapple cancel is to short hop. On the way down from the short-hop, press Z (or the equivalent grab button on a non-Gamecube Controller). If the character has a midair grapple move, it will extend quickly. Upon landing, there will be no lag, and any other move can be performed immediately.
Uses
This is very useful with Samus, as her midair grapple (also known as a Z aerial or Zair) comes out quickly, has a long range, and has decent stun time on it. Samus can even short hop a Homing Missile and start her Zair upon completion of the Homing Missile, canceling when it hits the ground. This technique is great for pressuring, approaching, and stopping approaches.
Toon Link's mid-air grapple is also very useful.
Characters capable of performing
The grapple cancel can be performed by any character with a midair grapple.
- Samus
- Link
- Young Link
- Toon Link
- Lucas*
*Lucas's midair grapple cannot deal damage and only serves to grab the edge, making his grapple cancel ineffective.