Edge-guard breaking
A guard break is a set of techniques in the 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
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 attack, 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. Often, this guard is meant as a KO move because of the positioning, and the break should be executed with care at higher damage. Generally, it is not attempted at low damage 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 can 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 thing about this guard is that the guarder cannot attack. At the other side, the guarded cannot sweet-spot, and 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. 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 KO. 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 Super Smash Bros. Brawl, jumping on the guarders head is a very effective way of ending the guard, and if the guarded themself employs an edge-hog, then it could be fatal to the guarder.
Sacrificial KO "break"
If the player is 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 the player has only one stock left and the 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, where he thrusts his sword forward, tipping the guarded and knocking them back. The best way to break this guard, if the player cannot land above or behind him, is to save the recovery until they have passed below Marth and then use it. If successfully executed, it will knock Marth back some and allow the player to grab the ledge. However, because Marth’s down tilt is an intrinsic crouch cancel, he may still be able to attack the player. 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 attacks and reflectors that protect against Din's Fire are also viable options.
Falco guard
Falco has a number of unique moves that combine for a unique edge guard. Falco will repeatedly fire his blaster to let the guarded opponent flinch on their 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 the player 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 a recovery move to knock Falco back and sweet-spot the ledge. Needless to say, failure of timing on the recovery move will result in a KO, 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 the player with the reflector throw during the recovery, setting the player up for a KO.
Wall of Pain
Breaking the Wall of Pain should never be taken for granted, as if it is executed perfectly, the guarded will get KOed. The only way to break the Wall of Pain is to perform an aerial attack 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 special move, 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 a recovery move while level with the guarder.
Pit guard
A standard Pit guard consists of Palutena'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 aerials. 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 smash. 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.
Peach guard
Peach has a simple, but useful array of techniques which can be used in conjunction with one another to effectively block a recovering opponent. Peach can easily stop an opponent's recovery by the use of Vegetable, while her forward throw and tennis racket or golf club can send the opponent flying at a distance far enough from the edge to grant Peach the opportunity to Edge hog, and cause the opponent to self destruct in an attempt to recover, considering that the opponent was sent so far, that they also had to use their second jump to gain distance to safely recover. This works especially well on Kirby and Jigglypuff, as the large amount of stun from Peach's turnips easily distorts them during their jumps while generating some knockback, making them lose whatever chance they have of getting back onto the stage. However on the downside, if Peach's turnip, as with other characters and their projectiles, hits the opponent while they are close enough to the ledge to use their recovery, they can use this to their advantage in order to get back onto the stage.
