Pound
| Pound | |
|---|---|
 Pound being used in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | |
| User | Jigglypuff |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Article on Bulbapedia | Pound (move) |
| “ | Pound does serious damage, and it can also help as a recovery move. | ” |
| —Jigglypuff's trophy description in Melee | ||
| “ | Slap your opponents so hard they fly straight into the air. | ” |
| —Super Smash Bros. for Wii U's Quick Guide | ||
Pound (はたく, Strike) is Jigglypuff's neutral special move in Super Smash Bros. and side special move from Melee onward.
Overview
Like its name suggests, Pound is a quick, short-ranged punch that sends Jigglypuff forward a short distance. While using the move, Jigglypuff will vocalize "Puff!" with its arm out in front of it while punching. Pound is very useful when recovering, as it can be used between jumps to give Jigglypuff more horizontal distance. This technique is required to beat Jigglypuff's Board the Platforms in Super Smash Bros. In Smash 4, Pound has lost some of its horizontal distance, limiting its recovery abilities.
While useful for mobility, Pound also has offensive uses due to its sex kick properties and high shield damage. Due to its lingering hitbox, Pound stays out longer than one might expect, which often causes opponents to drop their guard too early at times. In certain situations, this can serve as a set-up for Jigglypuff's powerful Rest attack. Its usefulness against shields is particularly useful due to Jigglypuff's constant aerial playstyle, and can punish opponents who overuse shields in an attempt to punish Jigglypuff out of shield. In Smash 4, Pound significantly benefits from the removal of damage reduction on shields, allowing it to bring shields to a near sliver of health.
In the original, the move always launched opponents at a diagonal angle behind Jigglypuff. In Melee, Pound either knocks opponents vertically if used at a close range, or sends them at a slightly more horizontal angle than in the original game if it hits afterwards, while in Brawl, the angles are the opposite of Melee. The move does a maximum of 13% damage in the original and Melee, and 11% in Brawl and Smash 4.
In SSB, Pound has more ending lag than in the later games, making the technique less effective and harder to master. However, as it is Jigglypuff's neutral special in this game, Kirby can copy the move and use this same technique, giving him a better recovery as he can use Final Cutter for additional height. In Brawl and Smash 4, after using all of Jigglypuff's midair jumps, CPUs use this move repeatedly until they recover, or are eventually KO'd.
Rising Pound
As pressing up quickly after using Pound causes Jigglypuff to gain height, and the move does not put it into helpless state, Pound gives Jigglypuff a gigantic horizontal recovery. This technique is known as a "rising Pound". Contrary to popular belief, this is not infinite, as the ending lag causes Jigglypuff to end up slightly lower than its original position. However, it still gives it a great advantage in stalling, being able to go under many stages and go to the other side. It is also possible to perform a "falling Pound" by pressing down instead of up after using Pound, which instead moves Jigglypuff slightly downwards.
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Pound | 2. Sideways Pound | 3. Pound Blitz |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Step forward and slap your opponent so hard they fly straight into the air." | "Slap opponents, and launch them sideways." | "A lunging strike that sends you sliding across the ground. Can hit multiple times." |
- Pound: Default.
- Sideways Pound: Cancels Jigglypuff's momentum, making it useless for recovery, deals less damage and is slower, but it is a semi-spike.
- Pound Blitz: Pounds multiple times, dealing more damage and moving Jigglypuff further forward, which improves its use for recovery.
Origin
Introduced in Generation I, Pound is a physical Normal-type attack that is learned at start or at a low level by many Pokémon, similar to both Tackle and Scratch. Due to its very low base power and the existence of superior Normal-type attacks, players as a result will typically replace Pound with more powerful and effective moves that their Pokémon learn later as they level up. Jigglypuff can learn it at a very low level in all generations.
Gallery
Pound in SSB.
Pound in Melee.
Pound in Brawl.
Pound in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
