Blunderbuss
| Blunderbuss | |
|---|---|
 King K. Rool shooting a Kannonball from the Blunderbuss in Ultimate. | |
| User | King K. Rool |
| Universe | Donkey Kong |
| Article on Super Mario Wiki | Blunderbuss |
| “ | Fires an iron ball from his gun. The button can be held to suck the iron ball (or opponents) back in. | ” |
| —Description from Ultimate's Move List | ||
The Blunderbuss (パイレーツキャノン, Pirate's Cannon) is King K. Rool's neutral special move.
Overview
K. Rool pulls out a blunderbuss and shoots a Kannonball projectile forward, donning the pirate hat he used in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
When the special button is pressed, K. Rool will fire a Kannonball, and then put away his hat and blunderbuss. The projectile is slow, travels straight for 3/4 the length of Final Destination and deals 13%. After around 2 seconds, the Kannonball will disappear. K. Rool cannot fire another Kannonball if one the one he previously shot is still present, instead firing a "Fake Shot". The Fake Shot will simply have smoke come out, being completely useless and leaving K. Rool vulnerable until the move ends.
If the special button is held while the Kannonball is in play (or holding the button until Frame 50 of the initial shot), the Blunderbuss will suck in air in front of K. Rool, creating a vortex which also acts as a command grab. This can also be done directly after firing the Kannonball. Blunderbuss will continue to suck as long as the special button is held, for a maximum of 2.5 seconds. K. Rool can drop through platforms while in this state, and while dropping a player can influence his direction as well. If the player's own Kannonball or an opponent comes near the vacuum, the blunderbuss will trap them inside it and K. Rool shoots them out immediately afterwards acting as a command grab. However, it will usually prioritize a player rather than the Kannonball. While an opponent or Kannonball is being sucked in, K. Rool can still fall through platforms, enabling more unique reshoots. If a Kannonball is reflected, it can still be sucked in as well. However, other player's Kannonballs or projectiles cannot be reshot.
If a Kannonball is sucked in, it will be reshot. When this occurs, its damage increases to 17% with noticeably higher knockback. If an opponent is shot, it will inflict 12% damage to the victim and briefly turn them into a projectile. During this state, the opponent is invincible, somewhat limiting combo utility. The shot can be aimed in 3 directions; up and forward, directly up or backwards. Kannonballs will maintain their increased power throughout this. Forward Reshoot is a very strong throw, killing opponents at around 120% at the edge. Upward Reshoot is niche but can be used to set up for up aerial as a frame trap. Backward Reshoot is useful when recovering while using Vacuum after being launched high, either closing out a stock early or ending in a stock trade (K. Rool will be KO'd first). Due to this, opponents will be less inclined to try and stop K. Rool from returning.
If a Kannonball hits a wall or player, it will fall down and retain its hitbox until it hits the floor, in which case it disappears after around half a second. This means that one can shoot an opponent with a Kannonball, drop down while vacuuming, and still manage to reshoot it. However, the length of time the Kannonball is out makes the practicality of this strategy questionable. Off-stage, a falling Kannonball can be used to disrupt recovery, or a bold player could reshoot it at the opponent for a stylish KO.
Blunderbuss Vacuum Delay
Though holding the B Button will transition Blunderbuss into the Vacuum stance, this isn't actually the only way to do it. By tapping B to trigger Blunderbuss, there are 19 frames (after the shot) where Vacuum can be inputted at any point. This is known as Blunderbuss Vacuum Delay by the playerbase.
This tech is typically used by King K. Rool players when ledgetrapping, as a mixup. For example, a player seeking to end a ledgetrap situation quickly could try to jump and attack, only to get caught by a delayed Vacuum to reset the recovery situation again. In circumstances where this catches a jumping opponent (for example trying to use a forward aerial after being knocked back only slightly), this can potentially gimp them. It can be used when dropping through platforms in a similar manner, minimizing the potential punish for not using it far away.
Managing Vacuum Delay isn't too difficult, although practice in Training Mode can help a player understand the timing for catching opponents. As a general rule, Vacuum has 6 Frames of startup, meaning it is very possible to catch opponents on reaction. As a result, this tech is extremely practical when one is attempting to zone and keep the opponent out: it doesn't have to be executed with intention, it can also be executed as a defensive measure.
Fake Shot Vacuum Cancel
In a similar fashion, while the Blunderbuss's Kannonball is out, the move actually changes completely. The "Fake Shot" - where the Blunderbuss shoots but nothing comes out - actually can be cancelled into Vacuum at any point; even before the Blunderbuss even comes out. This is known as a Fake Shot Vacuum Cancel, and is simply executed by pressing and holding B during the Fake Shot animation. The reason this occurs is unknown, though players assume it is because holding Vacuum is actually buffering it to happen on the first possible frame.
Executing this, while simple, allows for a good degree of creativity in the bait and punish playstyle. Given Fake Shot can be cancelled even as the Blunderbuss is shooting, it's possible to "camouflage" the tech through the smoke. As a result it's possible to deceive players during the match and manage to get more reshoots off than normal and continue playing mindgames with the opponent. As a result, there is extremely large mixup potential resulting from this. That is, if the player doesn't figure it out.
This works best on opponents being too aggressive and trigger-happy on their punishes, allowing the King K. Rool player to easily reset neutral and press his neutral-based playstyle further. The best movement setup for this is dropping through platforms and suddenly going into Vacuum when the opponent tries to exploit the Blunderbuss's lag. This is because players can typically intercept poor platform movement in other matchups anyway, making it very strong bait. It is also used when ledgetrapping as a red herring to keep the mindgames going, though typically Vacuum Delay is better for this. Overall, this isn't inherently useful, but adds to K. Rool's endless bag of tricks.
Origin
This attack is based on the boss fight against Kaptain K. Rool, King K. Rool's pirate persona, in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. In the fight, Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong have to avoid Kannonballs shot by K. Rool, then grab and throw them into his blunderbuss when he tries to vacuum up the Kongs; if a Kong got close to the blunderbuss as it vacuumed, they would not get sucked inside, but instead K. Rool would strike them with the butt of the gun. Throwing a Kannonball into the blunderbuss as it vacuumed would result in it clogging up and exploding, dealing damage to K. Rool in a comical manner; this also shoots the Kannonball back out at increasing speeds as the fight goes on.
Kannonballs also bounce one as they hit the ground, similar to how they did in Donkey Kong Country during the boss fight against King K. Rool.
Unlike in Ultimate, Kaptain K. Rool's blunderbuss could shoot out Kannonballs with spikes, and at various heights and trajectories, such as bouncing on the ground or spiraling through the air. It could also be used to rocket K. Rool across the stage, with the blunderbuss acting as an exhaust, and it could shoot odd mists that would freeze, confuse or slow down Diddy and Dixie Kong on contact. The explosion is also absent, likely due to not wanting the move to inflict damage on the player.
Gallery
King K. Rool using the Blunderbuss's Vacuum feature.
Blunderbuss as shown by a Skill Preview in Ultimate.
