Bomb recovery
Bomb recoveries are the usage of explosives to extend the horizontal recoveries of characters. This is possible because the explosive's damage puts the character out of their helpless, midair state, thus allowing them to use their recovery twice. Characters notable for using this technique are Link, Snake, and Samus.
Samus
In SSB, it is possible for Samus to recover using her bombs. By using down specials (not hitting herself but rather doing it to a direction) and a reverse Charge Shot, Samus can extend her recovery.
In Melee and Brawl, Samus' bomb recovery is performed by simply using her bomb move in the air, and then laying a second bomb to hit the first and bounce herself upwards. Repeat as desired. This gives Samus the ability to recover easily from any attack, and when combined with techniques such as Samus' Grapple Beam and Rising Grapple, edgeguarding her is a serious chore. The bombs come out quicker overall in Melee but it is easier to weave around the bombs in Brawl due to the floatiness of the game.
Link
In SSB, Link can perform a bomb recovery, but this is extremely difficult and almost unusable outside of by slowing the game down, as in using TAS. A bomb can also be thrown into one's self near an edge of the stage to steal a KO from an opponent in time mode.
In Melee and Brawl, Link's bomb recovery is reasonably difficult, but it is the best way to get the most out of the player's recovery with Link. Lord HDL defines it as follows:
| “ | Bomb Recovery - Third form of recovery that involves tossing a bomb up while falling and immediately using spin attack to hit it in order to perform another spin attack or change direction for hookshot use. This Cannot be done by Young Link. | ” |
There are three ways to perform the Bomb Recovery:
- While returning to the stage and falling, throw a bomb upwards, and immediately Spin Attack into it. The bomb should explode allowing Link a second up special, or a Hookshot recovery (if Link isn't facing away).
- Use his midair jump, and immediately throw the bomb up and Spin Attack.
- Simply drop the bomb while falling, wait a moment, and Spin Attack into it.
If the player can predict it, they could also pull out the Bomb ahead of time and have it explode in his hand after they Spin Attack. Then he can Spin again. This is usually done accidentally, and is the only way for the Links to use bomb recovery in Brawl, since they can no longer slash their own bombs.
Young Link and Toon Link can also perform some/all forms of bomb recovery used by Link.
Snake
Snake's bomb recovery is very much like Link’s. When falling, if a C4 is planted and Snake fast falls and detonates it on himself, he can use Cypher again because it causes flinching. However, unlike Link’s bomb recovery, this can be repeated infinitely until Snake is KO'ed by the blast, and is arguably much easier to perform.
Snake can also perform bomb recovery using his Hand Grenades. If he picks up and holds a grenade before being sent in the air (such as by shield-dropping it and picking it up again), then when the grenade explodes after its timer runs out, Snake will be able to use his up special again.
In Ultimate, Snake can also use his grenades mid-air for a bomb recovery. This is done by pressing neutral special, holding backwards to throw the grenade upwards, using Cypher, and airdodging or using an aerial as you meet the grenade to catch it. The grenade will then explode, allowing Snake to use Cypher again. However, since the Hand Grenade has much less knockback than Snake's C4, this may not give you any additional recovery height at low percents. At higher percents, however, this allows Snake to use Hand Grenade to bomb recover where his C4 would knock him above the upper blast zone.
Peach
It is plausible that Peach can use a Bomb Recovery if she is hit off the stage while holding a Bob-omb produced through her down special move. However, this is unlikely and not very useful for a number of reasons; Peach is likely to drop the Bob-omb when she's hit, a Bob-omb would probably KO her directly at such percentages, Peach can only take a bomb out on the ground, and Peach's horizontal recovery needs no help. This is also usually used to refer to Peach Bomber stalling, a Melee-specific technique to recover.
