Air dodge grab
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An air dodge grab is a technique in Super Smash Bros. Melee that allows any mid-air grabbing maneuver to be used after an air dodge. This can be used to either air grabbing an item whilst evading it, or using a grab aerial after the boost of an air dodge. For performing the technique, the player has to either press the L or R button for an air dodge, then quickly pressing A afterwards.
In the Super Smash Bros. games, pressing the attack button while shielding usually generates a grab. This can be done as long as the shield button is held when attack is pressed. While characters cannot grab when in mid-air, the grab button in this situation is still used for aerial item grabs and z-airs. As the shield + attack combination uses a grab, a player can air dodge on a direction, and then press A while holding L o R for any of these techniques. This technique allows for catching items more easily on air, since it allows to grab it while keeping intangibility from the dodge. While it is not commonly used in competitive play due to the usual ban of items, it can still allow to counter item-based attacks such as Vegetables. It is also useful for Link, Samus and Young Link, since not only they can get an additional boost before wall-grappling, but it also allows to dodge some edge-guarding techniques. Additionally, while wall-grappling very close to the wall causes the character to fall in helpless state, the air dodge can be used to nudge the character away from it, then grappling onto it with no problem.
The air dodge grab can be pulled out at any time before the character falls helpless, as long as L/R is held. It can potentially aid characters with grab aerials for recovery, in case they can't use their up specials, since they can boost and aim better for the wall. It can also be used to air dodge close to the ground (though not against it) and then pull out the z-air to damage opponents, which can also be employed defensively. Though it should be noted that, when pulling out the attack, intangibility from the dodge will be canceled as well.
Air dodge grabbing is removed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl: instead, air dodges here automatically grab items in the first frames, without having to press an attack button afterwards. Characters can no longer use a grab air out of an air dodge, though they can still be decent recovery options without it, since they no longer enforce helplessness and now act as tether recoveries. For Project M, this technique was restored, along with the directional air dodges, though only for z-airs; items are still grabbed automatically from an air dodge.
Samus can also use a recovery trick with air dodge grabbing. When very close to a wall, is she air dodges on a direction not away from the wall, and then quickly wall-grapples on it when she gets the most momentum of the air dodge, she will get a great boost on that direction while becoming helpless. If timed perfectly, it allows amazing recovery techniques on stages like Final Destination. [1]
