Super Smash Bros. 4

Marth (SSB4)

From SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
This article is about Marth's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Marth.
Marth
in Super Smash Bros. 4
Marth
FireEmblemSymbol.svg
Universe Fire Emblem
Other playable appearances in Melee
in Brawl

Availability Starter
Final Smash Critical Hit
Marth (SSB4)
An icon for denoting incomplete things.

Marth (マルス, Marth) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was announced on the official website on November 7th, 2013; years before, four Fire Emblem games were released on November 3, November 4, and November 11.

Marth is voiced once again by Hikaru Midorikawa, albeit using clips from Melee and Brawl, despite having appeared outside Japan.

Changes from Brawl

Likely due to his dominance in Melee and Brawl, Marth was overwhelmingly nerfed overall. The minimal amount of buffs he received are all negligible and not enough to compensate for the much more massive nerfs. Although his tippers still possess incredible knockback powerful enough to KO middleweights at mid-percentages (his forward smash being the third strongest in the game if tipped) and his Shield Breaker gained increased shield damage, the reach of his sword has been universally nerfed to become even lower relative to the rest of the cast, making it much harder to get tippers at a safe distance or even land Shield Breakers easily, along with obsoleting one of his key advantages in previous titles. Many of his staple moves, most notably his forward aerial and down tilt, have more end lag, weakening his ability to control space effectively. Due to his slower movement and the aforementioned nerfs to his reach and endlag, his neutral game and punish game, along with his approaches, are near nonexistent in the game. Marth's attacks are overall less rewarding on hit, as he lost many guaranteed setups into KO moves; this has drastically decreased his comboing and KOing potential. His grabs also launch enemies farther but were not given KOing ability at reasonable percentages to compensate, completely removing direct grab follow-ups, as well as hindering his ability to put opponents in unsafe positions. Additionally, unlike other characters who were nerfed for SSB4, Marth does not appear to benefit as much from most of the game's universal changes.

Due to his nerfs, Marth players now have to rely much more on gimmicks (such as raw tippers, Shield Breaker, and Counter) and the opponent's mistakes to maintain control of the match. However, these gimmicks do not serve to aid Marth at all in competitive play, and despite the efforts of a small amount of dedicated Marth players such as Mr. E, he currently has very poor representation in large SSB4 tournaments. Marth did make an appearance in top 8 EVO 2015 for Ally against Mr. R's Sheik. However, it is through this appearance that a misconception that Marth could be considered a high tier character has formulated. This is false due to Ally's Marth losing decidedly against Mr. R's Sheik; take note that simply because a character is used as a counter-pick in a high place match, their tier placement should not move up unless they win the set.

Marth has been slightly buffed so far from updates however, such as in 1.0.6 and more notably 1.0.8 (minus the small nerf to damage on Marth's jab). Marth's jab now transitions faster thus linking more reliably, the second hit has increased knockback, and has improved follow-up capabilities due to the angle change. His neutral air and up tilt have less endlag and up tilt has increased knockback on all hitboxes making it a better KO move. Dolphin Slash has increased knockback scaling, almost reverting itself back to its Brawl days. However, none of the buffs so far have compensated for his worsened approach ability and neutral game.

Marth's play style in Smash for WiiU is very different to his previous appearances. This is due to the fact that his primary spacing tool in past games (forward aerial) was heavily nerfed. Due to his forward air being unsafe on shield and on landing, this has made spacing overall through aerial attacks much more unsafe. For ground moves, his staple ground poke (down tilt) requires Marth players from past games to get used to getting closer than usual. This is due to the fact that down tilt has a significantly smaller hitbox (and added endlag however it can be interrupted reasonably during the endlag frames). Marth's jab is good for stopping direct aerial approaches from the front and careless ground approaches from the front. Due to recent patches, his jab can combo into itself pretty reliably; it can also combo into forward tilt or foward smash however it depends on each character (due to their weight) and their percentage AND Marth's rage making jab into other attacks having to rely on the player's full awareness on Marth's positioning and rage and matchup awareness. Up tilt due to recent patches is a pretty good tool as anti-air and add the fact that it's less laggy. Forward tilt can wall out opponents but it can be a little on the unsafe side; take note that if Marth is under a platform like on say Battlefield, forward tilt can hit an opponent standing on the platform above him. As for smashes, it's important to realize all of his smashes give easy punishes if miss-spaced. Up smash and forward smash are good edge guarders for when the opponent is trying to get on the stage after grabbing the ledge. If your opponent is on the ledge, and they pick either to roll or neutral get up on the stage, up smash is there for a crafty player. His ground attacks are overall less effective than previous appearances however, due to them having shorter reach, and either slower or laggier; this puts Marth at a bad position when ground fighting due to basically the entire cast either having a reach advantage against Marth, or an almost unnoticeable reach disadvantage (either due to reach in general or because of their speed). Marth players need to get used to walling out players much more than usual and playing much more defensive especially on the ground. For grabs, previous Marth players should notice a very slightly slower, laggier grab. On top of the fact that Marth's grab range is smaller (and add the fact of the universal remove of grab armor from Brawl). Forward air can combo at very low percentages into forward smash if and ONLY IF the opponent DI's inward. Down throw can combo into back aerial and/or up aerial; a good combo is down throw, back air sourspot (because hitting them with the tip may knock them back too far, then up air sweetspot/sourspot. Up throw can kill at 150+ on light characters without rage; with rage, up throw can kill at 150+ for majority of the cast. Marth's grabs in this game are SIGNIFICANTLY less useful than his previous appearances which cripples him even further compared to other characters. As for aerials, forward air is still a potent tool in air fights despite it not being safe as an approach; you can wall out people when you're both in the air. Up air to landing to up tilt has been seen; however this requires Marth to get unsafely close to his opponent. Neutral air is safe on landing however if Marth isn't close enough, nair will not hit; nair to grab or jab is a good setup. Back air is a good edge guarder. When an opponent is trying to get back to the stage, run off the stage with them and forward air - they will most likely air dodge, from there, they will most likely be behind Marth going for a straight vertical recovery: during this, if Marth back airs them they will be stage spiked unless they tech. Overall, this situation is very good for Marth. Back air is good for ledge trump killing as well (ledge trumping being when a character grabs the ledge when another character was already on the ledge, causing the previous ledge grabber to be kicked off and placed in the air behind the ledge). Down air is less laggy when landing, however it is slower and much harder to meteor compared to other appearances of Marth. Previous Marth players should note that the Ken Combo for Marth is not REAL in this game; it only works if the opponent makes the mistake of jumping after getting hit from the fair before the dair. Aerials for Marth require risks when landing but are still very potent when edge guarding. As for specials, Marth's shield breaker should be noted as both predictable and unsafe. Tapping or using an uncharged shield breaker still has noticeable start-up which a good player will simply roll behind of Marth, and due to the endlag of the move, it can be an easy punish against Marth; however, it can very easily break shields meaning that it could be useful against an opponent who shields more than they should. Dancing blade should be noted that the third hit of the downward variation no longer meteor smashes. Add the fact the dancing blade is quite punishable whether it be through using the whole combo or not. It can still, however, slightly slow Marth's aerial momentum if spamming the first hit. Dolphin slash is still a reliable out-of-shield option; the move should be used when Marth is safely low to recovery due to the fact that it can make Marth go past the ledge before grabbing it if used to high giving an opportunity for a punish. Counter is reliable for careless recoveries from characters like Ness, Fox, Falco, and such. Counter is a very good move for a player who can both mix-up it's usage and for a player who is good a predicting their opponent's attacks. Marth's specials aside from his counter are less useful than in other games however. Lastly, as for attributes, Marth's weight should be noticed make him good combo food for certain rush down characters like Fox or Sonic. Marth has NO projectiles, and add the fact that his sword is shorter from previous games, he ends up having a noticeable disadvantage in the neutral game against almost the entire cast due to his endlag on his moves. Marth struggles even further due to the fact they he does not have much at all any true combos compared to his past appearances; this forces Marth players to have a near-perfect edge guard game, and a patient and observant neutral game. Marth players should also take note that Marth has the fastest walk out of the entire cast, that he dashes faster compared to Brawl, but has slower air movement compared to Brawl.

Aesthetics

Attributes

  • Change Marth is slightly heavier than in Brawl (87 → 90)
  • Nerf The change in units of distance grants Marth more disjoint relative to his hurtboxes but since the change affects the entire cast, Marth ends up having less reach overall relative to the reach of other characters. Additionally, the sizes of his hitboxes have been reduced. Overall, Marth's moves are less safe than they were in previous games.
  • Nerf Marth's air speed is slightly slower (1.034 → 1.02).
  • Buff Marth's running speed is slightly faster (1.7 → 1.785).
  • Change Marth's falling speed is very slightly faster (1.5 → 1.58).

Ground attacks

  • Nerf Up tilt (8/9/12 → 5/6/9%), down tilt base (8/9 → 7%), forward smash (14/19 → 13/18%), down smash (13/14 → 8/12%), and up smash sourspot (4/14 → 3/13%) all deal less damage than in Brawl. Knockback compensated on up tilt, up smash, and forward smash however.
  • Nerf Jab now comes out one frame later (4/2 → 5/3) and has slightly more ending lag.
  • Buff Jab now transitions faster.
  • Buff Jab's second hit deals more knockback.
  • Buff Jab now sends upwards allowing for new follow-ups and mix-ups.
  • Buff Forward tilt has more knockback (40 base/80 growth → 55 base/85 growth) and has more vertical range.
  • Nerf Forward tilt comes out one frame later (7 → 8).
  • Nerf Down tilt has more ending lag. It only lasts 2 frames instead of 3, and has a significantly smaller hitbox. It also can no longer move Marth forward, removing its ability to pseudo crawl.
  • Nerf Dash attack has a noticeably smaller hitbox.
  • Nerf Forward smash has slightly more ending lag.
  • Nerf Up smash comes out one frame later (12 → 13), lasts 5 frames instead of 6, and has slightly more ending lag.
  • Buff Up smash has a slightly larger hitbox radius overall.
  • Buff Back hit of sweet-spotted down smash has more growth (80 → 88). It also deals slightly more damage (16 → 17).
  • Nerf Front hit of down smash is weaker despite its increased growth on both the sweet and sourspots (70/80 → 88). Both hits last 2 frames instead of 3.

Aerial attacks

  • Nerf Nair (12/18 → 8/11%), fair (10/13 → 7/10%), bair (11/14 → 9/12%), uair (10/13 → 9/12%), and dair sourspots (12 → 11%) all deal from moderate to severely less damage than in Brawl without much compensation on their knockback.
  • Nerf Neutral aerial has more landing lag (9 frames → 12 frames).
  • Buff Neutral aerial is 2.5 units larger.
  • Nerf Forward aerial now hits 2 frames slower. It only lasts 3 frames instead of 4 and has doubled landing lag (9 frames → 18 frames). It also can no longer be interruptible at frame 34, meaning Marth can no longer do another aerial after a short hop forward air.
  • Buff Back aerial has slightly less landing lag (21 frames → 19 frames).
  • Nerf Up aerial has more landing lag (9 frames → 16 frames).
  • Buff Down aerial has less landing lag (32 frames → 28 frames).
  • Nerf Down aerial starts at frame 9 instead of 6. Its sweetspot only lasts 1 frame; it no longer meteor smashes unless the tipper hits in the middle of the swing arc, has less base knockback (40 → 20), and the hitboxes that used to meteor now send foes sideways with moderate knockback and deal 1% less damage (14 → 13%). All of this significantly worsens his ability to approach with his down air.
  • Change Marth now instead swipes outward from the back instead of his front, essentially flipping its animation around from Melee and Brawl.

Throws/other attacks

  • Nerf Marth's grab comes out 1 frame later (6 → 7) and has 1 frame more ending lag. It also has less grab range.
  • Nerf All of his setup throws have significantly higher base knockback, which removes most of his follow-up options after a grab.
  • Change Down throw sends foes at an upwards trajectory, which can give some new follow-up options at low percents, but it removes Marth's ability to tech-chase.
  • Buff Up throw has more base knockback (60 → 70).

Special moves

  • Buff Shield Breaker deals less shield damage (42 → 30), however with the removal of damage reduction on shields, it allows the move to break shields more easily. It also now gives Marth a horizontal boost when used in the air, regardless of whether it is charged or not[2], aiding Marth's recovery.
  • Nerf Marth no longer steps an extra distance forward when using the move, and because of the general decrease of his range, the move's range is much shorter.
  • Buff Downward Dancing Blade deals slightly more damage.
  • Nerf Dancing Blade has more ending lag, and the third hit downward no longer meteor smashes. It is also harder to connect each hit together compared to Brawl, due to the fact of each hit having more hitstun and less IASA frames.
  • Nerf Dolphin Slash deals less damage (13% to 11%) making it weaker. A Reversed Dolphin Slash is also slightly harder to hit with.
  • Buff Counter has increased growth (40 → 60), being able to KO reliably off of strong countered attacks at very low percentages (having a damage multiplier of 1.2x instead of 1.1x like in Brawl).
  • Change Marth now grunts instead of talking while using Counter.

Update History

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.6

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.8

  • Buff Jab improved; both hits link more reliably as the transition is faster and jab 1 now produces vertical-based knockback, and the second hit deals increased knockback. The first hit also now has followup potential outside of transiting to the second hit.
  • Nerf Both hits of jab deal 1% less damage.
  • Buff All hitboxes of up tilt now deal vertical knockback, with improved base knockback, making it a better KO move. It additionally has 3 less frames of ending lag.
  • Buff Neutral aerial has 3 less frames of landing lag.
  • Buff Dolphin Slash has slightly improved knockback scaling.
  • Change Dolphin Slash and Crescent Slash deal slightly more hitlag.

Technical changelist

Moveset

For simplicity, if, for example, Marth's blade does 4% damage while the tip does 6%, and the attack has no other hitboxes, it is written as 4%/6%.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   3%/5% Slashes Falchion twice in front of himself. If spaced and timed correctly, this move has amazing and almost limitless follow-up capabilities as it can link into any of his smashes and tilts which can link into his other moves. (Some of this will only work if the opponent is very close to the player.)
4%/6%
Forward tilt   9%/12% A fast forward leaning Falchion swipe upward.
Up tilt   6% (blade), 5% (body), 9% (tip) Swings Falchion in a large arc above his head, with a large hitbox that can hit enemies behind him.
Down tilt   7%/10% A quick crouching Falchion poke. Can link into a grab if the move is un-tipped.
Dash attack   10% (blade), 9% (body), 12% (tip) A quick upward sweeping diagonal slash.
Forward smash   13%/18% Rotates body counter-clockwise with a strong arc-like one-handed swing from his head to the ground. Moderately fast startup, but high ending lag. Although lackluster when sourspotted, this move has surprisingly potent knockback when tipped, being able to KO opponents near the edge at as low as 65%. In fact, when tippered it has the 3rd highest knockback of any forward smash, being tied with Ganondorf. Despite this, the move's low range compared to Marth's previous incarnations makes this a somewhat difficult move to hit.
Up smash Justice Sword 3% (ground), 13% (blade), 17% (tip) A quick, direct upward thrust. The weak grounded hit can knock nearby opponents into the main attack. Good for aerial protection and chasing down landing opponents.
Down smash   8%/12% (hit 1), 12%/17% (hit 2) Sweeps Falchion on the ground toward the front outward then toward the back inward. Weak for a smash attack unless tipped, where it'll do moderate knockback. High ending lag makes it punishable.
Neutral aerial   2%/3% (hit 1), 6%/8% (hit 2) Two horizontal slashes around himself via in inward slash followed into a full 360 outward spin. The second hit can hit on both sides of Marth, and can be used to create space by short hopping then fast falling immediately after using the move in the air.
Forward aerial   7%/10% Does a forward vertical slash (up to down).
Back aerial   9%/12% Slashes Falchion from bottom to top behind him in an inward swipe. Has the interesting property of turning Marth around, changing facing direction.
Up aerial   9%/12% A forward to back upward Falchion slash in a delayed somersault.
Down aerial   11% (blade), 13% (non-meteor tip), 14% (meteor tip) A forward to back downward outward slash with Falchion. If the tipper hits in the middle of the swinging arc, it sends opponents downwards, meteor smashing powerfully; this is easier said than done, and players have to learn the timing and range of this move to put its meteor effect to good use. Other hitboxes when tipped results in moderate knockback. High ending and landing lag.
Grab   Grabs the enemy with his left hand.
Pummel   2% Knees the enemy.
Forward throw   4% Grabs and pushes forward, tripping with his leg. Can be used to set-up a Crescent Slash from low to mid percentage.
Back throw   4% Turns around and pulls the enemy over his outstretched leg, tripping them.
Up throw   4% Powerful upward throw with one arm. Can KO at very high percentages.
Down throw   5% Throws opponent to the ground with one arm, bouncing them upwards. Primary follow-up throw.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
  7%
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
  7%
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip)
  5%
Edge attack
Edge getups
  7%
Neutral special Default Shield Breaker 8%/9% (uncharged), 22%/24% (fully charged) Marth charges up Falchion at chest level before powerfully thrusting it forward. This attack deals high amounts of shield damage. If fully charged and used in the air, this move will thrust Marth in whatever direction he's facing, giving him a somewhat horizontal recovery.
Custom 1 Storm Thrust 4% (uncharged), 11% (fully charged) The stab produces a blast of wind from the tip, with pushing strength dependent on the charge level. In exchange, the attack is weaker than normal.
Custom 2 Dashing Assault 6%/5%/3% (ground uncharged early/mid/late), 7%/6%/4% (air uncharged early/mid/late), 16%/13%/9% (ground fully charged early/mid/late), 17%/14%/10% (air fully charged early/mid/late) Marth performs a lunging thrust with Falchion. Deals less damage, but propels Marth forwards.
Side special Default Dancing Blade 3%/4% (parts 1-2), 4%/5% (part 3 up/side), 3%/4% (part 3 down), 6%/8% (part 4 up), 5%/7% (part 4 side), 2% (part 4 down hits 1-4), 4%/6% (part 4 hit 5) A sequence of Falchion slashes with several variations based on control stick tilts; If it is tilted up on the final blow, Marth will perform an uppercut with good KO'ing potential. Tilted down: A flurry of stabs that wears down shields. Neutral or side: Produces a strong swing downwards.
Custom 1 Effortless Blade 2%/3% (parts 1-3), 4%/5% (part 4) Makes the hits easier to link, but can only use the side/neutral option. Since Marth swings with less vigor (hence the name), the attack is also weaker.
Custom 2 Heavy Blade 7%/9% (part 1), 9%/11% (part 2), 10%/12% (part 3), 13%/15% (part 4 up), 14%/16% (part 4 side), 2.2% (part 4 down hits 1-4), 11%/13% (part 4 down hit 5) Marth slashes with more force, but the controller input time is stricter and the hits are harder to link.
Up special Default Dolphin Slash 11% (clean), 7% (late blade), 6% (late body) Marth performs a rapid jumping slash that can be reversed. Has a powerful sweetspot located in the first few frames.
Custom 1 Crescent Slash 7% (clean), 12% (late blade), 6% (late body) Marth uses a lower Dolphin Slash that gains more horizontal distance. It gives Marth an access to his only one true follow-up from forward throw and grab release combo against some characters. Using this attack against the ledge enlarges its hitbox. Ideal for interrupting recoveries, gimp, stage-spike, and edgeguarding. However, it has less vertical distance.
Custom 2 Dolphin Jump 0% Jumps higher, deals no damage.
Down special Default Counter 1.2x (min 8%) Marth assumes a defensive stance and retaliates against incoming attacks. The power of the counterattack scales with the strength of the attack blocked.
Custom 1 Easy Counter 0.7x (min 4%) Marth holds his stance longer, and strikes with less power. Has decreased damage scaling, but has a wider trigger window.
Custom 2 Iai Counter 1.3x (min 6%) Marth strikes the opponent while moving behind them at lightning speed. Inflicts more damage, knocks foes behind him, and is much quicker, but the trigger window is stricter.
Final Smash Critical Hit 60% Marth lunges in one direction, attacking the first opponent. Immense knockback, enough to one-hit KO any character.

Victory Fanfare

This victory theme is a small orchestral cover from the title theme of the first Fire Emblem game, which has since become the main theme of the series. It is shared with Ike, Robin, Lucina, and Roy.

Victory Poses

  • Sheaths his sword and says "今日も生き延びることが出来た。", which translates to "Today I have survived."
  • Turns with pride, spins his sword then clashes it to the ground, and says "今回は僕の勝ちだね。", which translates to "This time it's my victory, isn't it?"
  • Poses with his sword sheathed and his right arm out and says "僕は負ける訳には行かないんだ。", which translates to "There's no way I can lose!"

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character Custom sets available
Marth (SSB4) Marth 3113 3123 1123 3133 1133
3121 1121 3111 1131 3131

Notable players

Alternate costumes

Marth Palette (SSB4).png
Marth (SSB4) Marth (SSB4) Marth (SSB4) Marth (SSB4) Marth (SSB4) Marth (SSB4) Marth (SSB4) Marth (SSB4)

Trophies

Marth
Ntsc The first hero from the Fire Emblem series, Marth is the prince of Altea and descendant of the hero Anri. In Smash Bros., he's known as an exceptional swordfighter, swinging his blade with grace. Striking with the tip will maximize the damage dealt. Teach aggressive foes a lesson with his strong Counter move.
Pal Marth, the prince of Altea, is the hero of the first ever Fire Emblem game and its remake, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. In this game, his graceful sword skills are what set him apart. Strike with the tip of his blade to deal extra damage, and use his Counter skill to defend yourself, no matter which directions you're being attacked from.
NES: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (JP)
SNES: Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (JP)
Marth (Alt.)
Ntsc Marth's side special Dancing Blade is a four-stage attack. Aim and time your strikes carefully! The tip of his sword does the most damage. For his up smash, Justice Sword, he thrusts his blade into the air. You can use it to block attacks from above and launch nearby foes.
Pal Marth's side special, Dancing Blade, is a four-stage attack. Aim and time your strikes carefully! As usual, the tip of his sword does the most damage. For his up smash, Justice Sword, he thrusts his blade into the air. You can use it to block attacks from above, and even to launch nearby enemies off the ground."
NES: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (JP)
SNES: Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (JP)
Critical Hit (Marth)
Ntsc Marth raises his Exalted Falchion to the sky and then rushes forward to deal an incredibly powerful blow, almost certainly KO'ing anyone and everyone who gets hit! When it's used in the air, he'll fly forward a certain distance. On the ground, however, he'll only dash to the edge of the platform he's standing on.
Pal Marth raises his Exalted Falchion to the sky, then rushes forwards to deal an incredibly powerful blow, almost certainly KOing anyone and everyone who gets hit! When used in the air, he'll fly forwards a set distance, but on the ground, he'll only dash up to the edge of the platform he's standing on.

Gallery

Trivia

  • Despite now grunting instead of talking when doing his Counter, he still has his sound effects in his Sound Test.
    • In Roy's trailer, Marth can be heard talking while using Counter, rather than grunting.

References