Falco (SSBM)

This article is about Falco's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. For the character in other contexts, see Falco Lombardi. Also, for information about the fighter of whom Falco is a clone, see Fox (SSBM).

Falco in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Falco Lombardi
Universe	Star Fox
Other playable appearance	in Brawl
Availability	Unlockable
Tier	S (2)

Falco is a character in Super Smash Bros. Melee who is unlocked by beating the 100-Man Melee mode with any character. He can also be unlocked by playing 300 vs. matches. He is considered a clone of Fox. Top Falco players are notorious for their high levels of technical ability.

Falco is currently ranked 2nd in the SSBM tier list. There are a lot of developed strategies and combos for Falco, particularly with "Shine" techniques, with notable differences from Fox's techniques, which are horizontal in nature whereas Falco's techniques are largely vertical in nature; Falco's ability to KO on the top and bottom blast lines are almost unparalleled. Falco also has an extremely effective spike as his down air, which allows him to quickly and efficiently KO characters. Falco has amazing matchups, lacking any negative ones (making him, Fox, Pikachu and Meta Knight the only characters with no negative matchups). Falco, however, suffers from an extremely high falling speed and a very low air speed and having one of the worst recoveries in all the game. His high falling speed also makes him extremely vulnerable to chaingrabs, especially from characters such as Marth and Captain Falcon.

Attributes

Falco's play style is said to be similar to Fox's in Super Smash Bros. He is also known to have the second fastest normal falling speed and the fastest fast-falling speed. This means he has resistance to juggling, is hard to hit in the air, and can perform SHFFLs well. On the downside, his recovery is shortened, and he is vulnerable to combos and chaingrabs that work on fast-fallers (however, he can chaingrab floaties). Falco's excellent short hop makes him very good at combos and short hop lasers. His short hop lasers prevent most characters from approaching and can increase pressure on the opponent. His reflector not only reflects projectiles, but can also be used for combo opportunities like pillaring (See shine). Falco also has the highest initial jump, the ability to wall jump, and a very effective Down Air spike.

Like Fox, Falco is light weight and has a very poor recovery, among the worst in the game. Not only does he have the aforementioned fast-falling problem, but also the slowest air speed (along with Fox). Falco's up special (Fire Bird) is very easy to edge-guard due to its large start-up lag and linear nature. Additionally, it also lacks the flinching effect during the charge-up time and recovery distance of Fox's up special. His side special move (Falco Phantasm) is difficult to shorten consistently, but is faster at recovering than Fox's side special move.

Moveset

Ground moves

Normal

• Neutral attack- Two quick jabs, which can easily L-cancel into each other, both doing 4% damage each, and then a series of fast kicks. Each kick does 1% damage. His second jab makes Falco move forward a bit.
• Dash attack- Leaps and sticks out his foot. Damage depends on how late the foe is hit, but the highest is around 9% damage.
• Forward tilt- Quickly kicks his foot out. Pretty fast, impressive range for it's speed. 9% damage.
• Down tilt- Swipes his tail in front of him with somewhat short range. However, it is unusually powerful in both damage and knockback. Because of his speed and power, his down tilt can KO above 100%. 13% damage.
• Up tilt- Flips his leg behind him. Short range, but incredible combo ability, very fast, and a great killer at higher damage. 9% damage.

Smash attacks

• Forward smash- Flips his body in front and kicks in front of him. Good knockback, usually killing around 90-110%, and damage racking should not be difficult for experienced, adept Falco players. 14-17% uncharged, 19-23% fully charged.
• Up smash- Flips his whole body in a 360° spin from his standing point, feet extended, and lands. Falco's version is notably weaker than Fox's; although, it is a better juggler. This also hits behind Falco, albeit with significantly lower knockback. 14% uncharged, 19% fully.
• Down smash- Does a quick split. An excellent killer, if not good for setting up edgeguards, or simply spacing. 16% uncharged, 21% fully charged.

Other attacks

• Ledge attack- Throws himself onto the stage with both feet sticking out. 8% damage.
• 100% ledge attack- Slowly gets up and kicks in front. 8% damage.
• Floor attack- Gets up and kicks on his left, then right. 6% damage.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial- Does a simple sex kick. Great knockback when it first comes out, and the move comes out quickly, usually out of a short hop. 12% max.
• Back aerial- Kicks behind him. Sex kick. Good for KO-ing, and a great edgeguarder. 9-15% damage.
• Down aerial- Unlike Fox's down aerial, Falco, who spins around in places at a downwards angle, strongly spikes the foe. Fox's variation is a multi-hitting drill kick. This makes Falco's version much better at edgeguarding and KO-ing in general. However, it also causes Falco to fall faster than usual. 9-12% damage.
• Up aerial- Kicks up and extends his tail afterwards. A two-hit move, first hit does 6%, then 9%, for a total of 15% damage. If the center of Falco's body hits the opponent, then it inflicts the full damage, but with no knockback.
• Forward aerial- Five kicks in front. Due to the number of kicks, this move has a high duration, and it's very unlikely that all hits will connect; Falco players usually have a short time to react with another jump or recovery. A surprising 27% damage if all hits connect.

Grabs & throws

• Pummel- Knees foe. 2-3% per pummel.
• Forward throw- Punches foe forward. Not many comboing follow-ups outside of using it to force opponents off the stage for edgeguarding. Can be used to chaingrab floaty characters at low percentages. 7% damage
• Up throw- Tosses the foe upwards, which causes 3% damage, and fires four very quick shots doing 1% each. Excellent air combo set-up (most particularly up aerial), however, this can be DI'd out of at higher percentages.
• Back throw- Tosses foe behind, for 4% damage, and fires four quick laser shots, dealing 1% each. It is possible to tech-chase an opponent, depending on the opponent's DI. Not most useful throw outside of edge-guard set-ups.
• Down throw- Picks foe up and slams them to the floor, then shoots them four times with his Blaster. Only does 4% damage, though an up-tilt of predicted foe reaction an counter-attack is possible. It can also be used to start a shine combo. Not too useful due to it being easy to tech out of. Similar to Fox's down throw, this throw can meteor smash over a ledge if Falco grabs his opponent at the very edge of a platform.

Special moves

Falco's special moves

Neutral special	Blaster
Side special	Falco Phantasm
Up special	Fire Bird
Down special	Reflector

Taunt

Falco scoffs while spinning into a pose. In the Japanese version, he speaks one of two phrases - one of which translates into "hands off my prey!" (which is heard in English for the first time in Brawl).

Smash Taunt: Falco 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.

Matchups

Super Smash Bros. Melee Character Matchups

Avg.

Differences with Fox

• Falco walks and runs slower than Fox but jumps higher and faster (Falco has the highest initial jump in the game).
• Falco is heavier than Fox and will survive longer both horizontally and vertically.
• Falco has slightly slower normal falling speed but slightly faster accelerated falling speed than Fox.
• Falco has a much stronger forward smash but a much weaker up smash than Fox.
• Falco has a stronger forward tilt and down tilt (which it can kill reliably under 150%) than Fox but a weaker up tilt than Fox.
• Falco's blaster stuns opponents, unlike Fox's blaster, but Falco's blaster is slower. Falco's blaster is similar to Fox's blaster from the original; although, Fox could still SHDL/SHDB, unlike Falco, who can input only one laser shot in a single short hop.
• Falco's down aerial does a single hit and spikes powerfully, whereas Fox's counterpart does about seven hits and spikes extremely weakly.
• Falco's back throw doesn't send people that far as well as Fox's back throw, but Falco can chain throw easier.
• Falco's Falco Phantasm (side special) is quicker, and it can meteor smash. Fox's Fox Illusion (side special) is slower, travels farther, is weaker, and doesn't meteor smash.
• Falco's Fire Bird (up special) is much stronger than Fox's Fire Fox (up special), being capable of reliably KOing under 150%, but its recovery distance is shorter (slightly more than half the distance of Fire Fox). Overall, Falco's Fire Bird is very similar to Fox's Fire Fox from the original.
• Falco's shine sends people vertically and can be easier to infinite shine while Fox's shine sends people left-down or right-down, can semi-spike, and you can use it to wall shine opponents. Also, Falco's shine sound is louder than Fox's shine sound.
• Falco's up aerial is generally weaker and has an easier hitbox than Fox's (meaning it is a better juggler). Fox's up aerial is generally stronger when its hitbox is executed right.
• Falco's down throw is faster, harder to meteor smash, and it can be used to chainthrow lightweights, while Fox's down throw is slower, easier to meteor smash, and it can't be used to chainthrow lightweights.
• Falco's Reflector is larger than Fox's.

Techniques

SHL/B

SHL/B stands for "Short-Hop Laser/Blaster" and is very disruptive to opponents. In order to do a SHL/B, one must short-hop, fast-fall, and shoot a laser. When fast-falling correctly, there is no lag and the player is free to move about while shooting. A player can send flurries of SHL/Bs while approaching an opponent. This can somewhat substitute Falco's average speed dash, as it is a very fast and effective way to move around due to his fast jump and fall. SHL/B is considered to be the best approach tactic in the game and one of the most annoying moves in the game. It is imperative that Falco players learn to SHL/B since it is Falco's main method of opening up opponents' defenses.

Pillaring

See pillaring

Waveshining

See Waveshine

Offense

Falco's down air (also known as the Quailbird) is one of the best Spikes in the game, and can usually kill at around 50%. His up tilt can be used to start combos. His down tilt can usually kill at high percentages. His forward smash is fast, combos from his lasers well and kills at fairly low percentages. His back air is also considered a Sex Kick.

A basic combo of Falco's is grabbing the opponent, throwing them down, immediately shining them and chasing them upward for a spike. The player can do this several times to build up damage, forcing them near the edge, and spiking them a final time. This combo is a guaranteed kill around 100% or 110%. It works on nearly every character except other space animals (although with C. Falcon it is imperative to SHL or SHFFL the down aerial), but does not work as well on floaters or lightweights.

Like Fox, Falco can down throw an opponent at the very edge of a stage which can't normally be passed through, and the lasers from the throw send the opponent down extremely quickly. It is almost impossible to meteor cancel it or recover from it at any percent, due to the speed. This tactic will only work if Falco is facing inward when he is on the edge. This technique is highly situational, however.

Boost grab

Along with Fox and Sheik, Falco can use a boost for his grab. To do it, the player has to do a dash attack and right after they do it, press the grab button and Falco will be able to reach out more when he grabs. The player can't jump cancel the boost grab. This can be used to increase the grab range.

Trophy descriptions

Falco

"Star Fox team pilot, Falco's constant air of casual indifference belies his precise piloting skills. He avoids discussion of what he did before joining the team, but many consider it likely that his past was filled with reckless behavior. He's not much for cooperation, but he does respect those more skilled than he is."

Falco (Smash red)

"Where his leader, Fox, has blinding speed, Falco has his own distinct skills and advantages. He has both a higher jump and a longer reach than Fox, and although his Blaster lacks rapid-fire capabilities, it strikes with shocking force. Unlike Fox Falco can stop enemies in their tracks with his Blaster fire. "

• B: Blaster
• Smash B: Falco Phantasm

Falco (Smash Blue)

"Falco's amazing jumping abilities have many merits, but it's vital to realize that it comes at the cost of some attack power and defensive strength. He falls at a high speed, which disrupts potential attackers, but this also prevents successful recoveries occasionally. Hit an opponent with Reflector, and he or she will fly straight up; this is Falco's quickest attack. "

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

• 

  Falco character trophy

• 

  Smash red

• 

  Smash blue

Costume Gallery

File:Alt-falco.jpg

Falco's changeable clothing in SSBM