Fox (SSBM)

This article is about Fox's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For other uses, see Fox McCloud. Also, for information about Fox's clone, see Falco (SSBM).

Fox
Fox McCloud
Universe	Star Fox
Appears in	SSB SSBM SSBB
Availability	Starter
Tier	Top (1)

Announced at E3 2001, Fox (フォックス, Fokkusu) is emblematic of speed, dominating foes with his rapid attacks, quick movement and overpowering offense in all areas of his game. Because of these advantages, Fox has won many tournaments and currently tops the tier list, ousting Sheik from the number one position for the first time.

Fox, however, is equally notorious for being an extremely difficult character to master. Almost all of his attributes reflect an unbridled speed, requiring quick fingers and reflexes to master. Players need utmost concentration to SHFFL aerials and shine combos with efficiency, and more importantly to avoid being grabbed by an opponent, which almost certainly means a painful chain throw or combo. Because of these struggles, Fox must remain slippery, unpredictable, and above all faster than his opponent to win.

Fox is available as a starter.

Special Moves

• Neutral B: Blaster
• Smash B: Fox Illusion
• Up B: Fire Fox
• Down B: Reflector

Pros and Cons

The following list specifically applies to the SSBM version of Fox.

Pros

• Very fast at dashing and dash-dancing
• Good wavedash
• His fast fall and low, fast short hop contribute to an extremely quick SHFFL.
• Shine spikes are deadly against the majority of the cast.
• Little overall lag
• His Shine very effectively combos and pressures enemies' defenses
• High-damage and flexible combos, including several infinite combos
• Adaptive playing style
• Very powerful up-sending finishers (particularly his up smash and his up aerial)
• Highly variable approaches, ranging from SHDL/SHDB approaches to SHFFL'd aerials.
• Difficult to shield grab because of his shine.

Cons

• Light-weight.
• His falling speed sets him up to be combo'd and chain-grabbed at low percents.
• His recovery can be caped and edge-guarded easily.

Changes from SSB to Melee

• New Side B (Fox Illusion)
• Blaster now has rapid-fire capabilities.
• Much lighter in weight.
• New Down Smash
• New Forward Aerial
• Fire Fox travels a little further.
• New throw animations.
• Blaster no longer causes enemies to flinch.
• Falls much faster.
• New Forward Smash.

Techniques

• Shine spike
• Waveshine
• Infinite Combo
• SHL/SHB -or- SHDL/SHDB

Statistics

~Courtesy of Mew2King's Super Hardcore Very In-Depth Smash Guide~

• Fox is tied for the fastest walking speed in the game, along with Marth.
• Fox has the 15th longest forward, back, and average roll in the game.
• Fox has the 16th fastest turning speed in the game.
• Fox is the 5th lightest character in the game in the NTSC version, and 4th lightest in the PAL version.
• Fox has the slowest barrel/crate carrying speed in the game.
• Fox has the 2nd fastest running speed in the game.
• Fox has the 2nd fastest average falling speed in the game.
• Fox has the 3rd fastest top falling speed.
• Fox has the fastest acceleration in falling speed in the game.
• Fox has the 12th longest wavedash in the game.
• Fox is tied for 7th highest primary jump in the game, along with Ice Climbers.
• Fox is tied for 6th highest second jump in the game, along with Ness.
• Fox is tied for 6th total jumping height in the game, along with Kirby and Pikachu.
• Fox is tied for 4th shortest short hop in the game, along with Bowser, Dr. Mario, Mario, Roy, and Young Link.
• Fox has the 6th shortest 0-99% ledge roll in the game.
• Fox has the 7th shortest 100-999% ledge roll in the game.
• Fox has the 4th longest ledge attack horizontal range (0-99%) in the game.
• Fox has the 6th shortest ledge attack horizontal range (100-999%) in the game.
• Fox is tied for slowest horizontal aerial moving speed in the game, along with Falco.
• Fox has the 14th longest grab range in the game.
• Fox is tied for 10th biggest shield in the game, along with Falco and Ness.
• Fox has the 7th shortest taunt in the game.
• Fox's blaster is the fastest moving projectile (other than the Great Fox's lasers) in the game.
• Fox is tied for 4th weakest forward smash (non-charged) in the game, along with Mewtwo.
• Fox has the 6th weakest forward smash (fully charged) in the game.

Trivia

• Fox is ranked 1st on the Melee tier list, suggesting that he has the most potential of any character in Melee.
• Fox can do a Star Fox conversation that can only be used on Corneria or Venom by quickly tapping Down on the Control pad. This taunt can only be used once per match.
• Fox is used as a secondary if not main by the top three smashers in the East Coast of the US: KoreanDJ, PC Chris, and Mew2King.
• The hitbox of Fox's Reflector comes out in one frame, making it tied for the fastest move in the series with Rest.

Target Test

First, face left, do a single jump and shoot target one with your blaster (B). Double jump and shoot target 2. Double jump again, use your Fire Fox (up+B), and land on the ledge above. Double jump again, and kick (A) to destroy target 3. Go right and destroy target 4.

Now, jump up onto the ledge to the right of target 4. Double jump going left, and use the Fire Fox up to get into the enclosed space. Kick target 5 on the drop down. From this platform, face right and double jump to shoot target 6. Again, double jump, use the Fire Fox up and right to land on the hollow box. Double jump facing left and shoot target 7.

Now, drop down to the platform below and left of target 8. Double jump facing right and fire your blaster 8. Now, face left and use your illusion move (B+left) to reach the next platform over. Do it again (from the middle of the platform, or you'll miss). Now, shoot left until you destroy target 9. Wait until target 10 is right above you, double jump and kick it to finish.

Trophy Descriptions

In addition to the normal trophy about Fox as a character, there are two trophies about him as a fighter, unlocked by completing the Adventure and All-Star modes respectively with Fox on any difficulty:

File:Fox3.jpg

Fox (Smash Red)

Fox is among the quickest and nimblest of the Smash Bros. characters. His speed is offset by low firepower, however, and he's better at one-on-one fights than melees with multiple foes. His Blaster is unique: it does damage but it doesn't make enemies flinch. His Fox illusion is best used as a surprise attack.

• B: Blaster
• Smash B: Fox Illusion

File:Fox2.jpg

Fox (Smash Blue)

Fox falls quickly, so he's a tough target to strike from below; however, this advantage can work against him when he goes flying sideways. You can use the Control Stick to set the direction of the Fire Fox technique while it's charging up. On a side note, Fox is also much lighter than he was in the N64 Super Smash Bros. game.

• Up & B: Fire Fox
• Down & B: Reflector