Luigi Cyclone
| Luigi Cyclone | |
|---|---|
 Luigi Cyclone in Super Smash Bros. 4. | |
| User | Luigi |
| Universe | Mario |
| Article on Super Mario Wiki | Spin Jump |
| “ | Spin and strike foes. Rise by repeatedly pressing  .
|
” |
| —Smash for 3DS's foldout | ||
Luigi Cyclone (ルイージサイクロン, Luigi Cyclone) is Luigi's down special move. It is similar to the Mario Tornado in that it involves Luigi spinning around wildly with arms outstretched and finishes with a full-body stretching bash. It is different from the Mario Tornado, however, because there are only two hits (prior to Brawl). To add, Luigi closes his eyes in fear when using the move.
It can be used as a recovery move by button-mashing the special button. For vertical distance, this works best after a jump in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, because the move carries Luigi's momentum with it, but if used while falling, it will be much more difficult to gain height, and may not be possible at all in Melee.
It is generally perceived as being very difficult to get the full height due to the number of times the player needs to push the special button during the animation, especially in Melee compared to his brother's version. This move does not put Luigi into a helpless state, so the player can use the Super Jump Punch or Green Missile after.
History
In Super Smash Bros.
In the original Super Smash Bros., there are a total of two hits during the move: one at the beginning (when Luigi curls up and begins to spin), and one at the end (when Luigi sends out his hands), which deals 15% and 18% damage, respectively, with the latter dealing significantly more knockback than the former. Only one of the hitboxes can hit a particular enemy with a use of the move, however, acting more like a sex kick. The first incarnation of the move is not as difficult to use as a recovery move as the one in Melee, but is slightly more difficult than in Brawl. Otherwise, it is almost the same as Mario Tornado, meaning that Luigi can barely move sideways unlike in the latter games, but can rise as high as Mario with the move. For a sure hit, it is mostly used to attack an airborne enemy from above by rising. It is usually considered Luigi's other main KO'ing move outside of his Super Jump Punch.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Melee, Luigi Cyclone is Luigi's primary vertical recovery as long as the player has very quick tap speed, though if used in midair, it's possible to halt falling speed for a short time with decent horizontal movement. There are a total of 2 hits like in Smash 64, with one right at the beginning and one in the end, though the hits can now link each other, and Luigi has a much better sideways movement when the attack is used on the ground. This version of the cyclone has the best combo ability, but very low KO or gimp potential. If the Cyclone is used at the peak of Luigi's mid-air jump, it is much easier to gain height. However, unlike other Smash games, the Cyclone needs to be "charged" by using it once on the ground. It is also by far the hardest Cyclone to successfully maneuver, with only people with very fast hand speed being able to do it correctly. It takes around twice the hand speed as a jumpless Rising Cyclone from Brawl. It is also a very quick out of shield move that can be used for approaches. It is a primary combo starter versus fast fallers or heavyweights. The first hit deals 8% damage, and the second deals 12% with stronger knockback (or 10% due to stale-move negation).
The height gained from the cyclone depends on how many times the player presses B during the startup animation:[1]
- Fewer than 5 presses results in a height loss.
- 5-7 presses will keep Luigi at the same height, though it can still be useful for horizontal recovery.
- 8-10 presses gives half of the maximum height.
- 12-13 presses gives 2/3 of the maximum height.
- 14-18 presses will give near-maximum height.
- 19 presses gives the maximum height,[2] although it requires the B button to alternate between being held and relieved between each frame, and is impossible to achieve in real-time play.
Curiously, with certain combinations of characters, controller ports, and stages, the Cyclone may start already charged, though none of the known combinations are possible on tournament legal stages.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Brawl, Luigi uses the Cyclone in a slightly different way. This time, his hands are extended with his palms facing up to make him more resemble a helicopter propeller, and his arms during the full-body bash stretch are extended more horizontally. While still able to travel across a stage surface very quickly, Brawl's Luigi Cyclone has more hits than Melee's (with no vacuum effect compared to Mario's version), less power, and is very good at gimping certain characters. The first four hits deal 2% damage with a semi-spike angle for each, with the last hit doing 4% damage with a vertical angle and high base knockback. The vertical recovery distance is now much easier to perform than its Melee counterpart, making it much more versatile. It has less vertical distance than the version from Smash 64 but has the most horizontal distance of all three games. The Cyclone gains the most vertical momentum in midair when implemented just after a jump, a property shared with Green Missile. Combining these two techniques with the standard recovery move (jumped GM→double-jumped Cyclone→Super Jump Punch) allow for dramatic aerial movement and recovery improvement. The Brawl Cyclone is also one of the better moves Luigi has to approach and bait. There are a few main techniques using the Cyclone in Brawl:
- Cyclone cancel (CC): Pressing down and the special button right before Luigi touches the ground allows him to instantly use the move again. [1]. This also allows Luigi to rise slightly on the ground if he taps the special button on the ground while moving.
- Jumpless rising cyclone: (JRC) Using the cyclone without jumping is much harder than using it with jumping. It takes around double the tap speed. However it is considered usually better as it allows Luigi to make a double jump afterward as well.
- Normal rising cyclone. (NRC): Using the cyclone with jumping is by far the easiest way to recover. It does however leave Luigi open for gimps as Luigi doesn't have a 2nd jump anymore otherwise.
- Stationary aerial cyclone. (SAC): Using the cyclone to keep Luigi in the same area in mid-air. Takes exactly half the tap speed as the other cyclones. Also known as a Half rising cyclone or HRC.
- Aerial cyclone gimp (ACG): Jumping and then using a fully powered cyclone to KO a character off the top (usually someone with a slow down aerial like Snake) or to fast fall and then fully tap cyclone off stage against someone's recovery, usually against Diddy Kong or Marth. Similar to Meta Knight's up aerial to tornado gimp, but less effective.
- Full rising cyclone (FRC): A fully vertical/horizontal cyclone.
In Super Smash Bros. 4
In Smash 4, Luigi Cyclone has similar traits to its Brawl incarnation, but its use for recovery has been made less viable; it gains less vertical recovery distance, and it becomes much more difficult to mash to gain height if Luigi does not jump before using it or is not suffering hitlag from actually hitting opponents with it. In turn, the last hit of Luigi Cyclone has much stronger vertical knockback, and can KO at around 130% when closer to the upper blast line. It is commonly used as a finisher after a down throw. Aesthetically, Luigi no longer closes his eyes in fear, instead keeping his eyes and mouth open.
Customization
Special Move customzation was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the known variations:
| 1. Luigi Cyclone | 2. Mach Cyclone | 3. Clothesline Cyclone |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "A spinning attack that can be moved sideways. Tap the button quickly to rise." | "A spin that pushes opponents. Not much sideways movement, but can rise quite far." | "A slow but powerful whirlwind slap that sends opponents flying sideways." |
- Luigi Cyclone: Default.
- Mach Cyclone: Does no damage during the move (excluding the final hit) and pushes opponents until the end, where it gains high knockback and pops Luigi into the air, and has reduced horizontal movement.
- Clothesline Cyclone: Does not trap opponents, instead causes increased knockback when the move hits an enemy along with the last hit sending them upward.
Origin
The Luigi Cyclone is likely based on the Spin Jump that originated in Super Mario World. The Spin Jump has lower vertical range than Luigi's jump but deals more damage, can jump on hazardous enemies, and can break rotating blocks. In Super Mario Galaxy, both Mario and Luigi have a spinning attack very similar to the Mario Tornado and Luigi Cyclone. The spinning attack from Super Mario Galaxy made them gain some vertical height when used in the air, just like Luigi Cyclone and Mario Tornado, although in Super Mario Galaxy the spin acted more like a double jump.
Trivia
- Despite the move's rising capabilities, CPU Luigis will never attempt to recover with Luigi Cyclone in any of the first three Smash Bros. games, regardless of the level, and also never rise with it on any other ocassion. CPU Luigi finally uses it to recover in Smash 4, but only at Level 9. A similar trait is shared with Mario Tornado and Dr. Tornado.
Gallery
Cape Artwork of Mario using a Spin Jump in Super Mario World.
Luigi Cyclone in Smash 64.
Luigi Cyclone in Melee.
Luigi Cyclone in Brawl.
