SSBM/Falco: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 01:41, 30 December 2023

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Introduction

Falco is the quintessential definition of a glass cannon. He dominates the neutral game, boasting insane frame data and arguably the best projectile in the game. After landing a hit or even from a disadvantage state, Falco also has limitless combo and mix up potential thanks to his unique version of shine and his oppressive Down Air (dAir) that allow him to convert any hit into his deadly "pillar" combos

There is no exaggeration when it's said that this bird's laser is one of the most obnoxious projectiles in this game, and perhaps all of fighting games. Unlike Fox's laser, his Blaster's laser deals hitstun when it connects, meaning that Falco can immediately take control of the match by restricting the opponent's movement in neutral from the very start of a game. This can continue as strong zoning, or when he is closer he can use it to start his obscene pressure, or even fit it into combos to catch certain options and chain into stronger finishers. This plays into the rest of his moveset, as if the opponent attempts to get around the lasers vertically, he can perform extremely low commitment anti airs as a hard counter that start off his damaging combos.

Falco has a few main weaknesses. First his movement. Compared to his crewmate fox, his movement is trickier and more predicated on burst options like his wavedash and powerful jump options, but he rather makes up for it by controlling his opponent's movement with his gun. Second, his kill confirms. In general, building damage and performing long flashy combos is the easy part. Finishing the job however can necessitate mix ups or creativity. This is a problem only exacerbated by his weak grab combos, resulting in Falco dominating the majority of most matches but having the final result determined by how well the Falco can seal the deal.

His recovery moves are a bit of an anomaly, allowing for countless mixup options but coming with massive weaknesses. His Side B is faster than foxes and has a meteor property on hit meaning it can reverse bad situations in a heartbeat, and his firebird has all the same dizzying angle choices that fox's does. However, due to the low range and very flawed hitboxes of both of these moves, in conjunction with his high fall speed, he is EXTREMELY susceptible to early % kills, dubbed gimps. When they work, they're amazing recoveries with infinite mix up potential. When they don’t, it can be frustrating.

In summary, Falco is a control focused character who sports the best neutral and flashiest combos of the cast. Just remember that this bird can’t fly.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Versatility: Falco has the combination of an incredible projectile, Overwhelming combo and pressure tools, unique movement, and great normals. With reliable tools for every matchup and situation, Falco can adapt to any opponent, and control the pace of the match effortlessly.
Lasers: Arguably the most powerful projectile in the game, Falco's lasers dominate the neutral while keeping him mobile and complimenting his fantastic offense.
Shine: A 1 frame jump cancellable option used for combos, shield pressure, movement and so much more. The power of this simple move can not be overstated.
Tricky Movement: Falco has the fastest jump speed, highest DJ height, top 2 fall speed, and an above average wavedash and initial dash. Combining these options, strong falco mains can play him as one of the games fastest characters, and throw endless creative mixups at the opponent in neutral.
Infinite Skill Ceiling: Falco has a bottomless toolkit and heavily rewards both the creative player and the lab monster. He also one of the best matchup spreads in the game, meaning there is no limit to how far a Falco main can take the character.

You Will Die: Due to his fall speed Falco is combo food for literally every character in the game, he also has a highly exploitable recovery, low weight relative to fall speed, and even an higher than average inclination to SD's. If you play this character, be prepared to lose many unfortunate stocks.
Tricky Movement: Falco's powerful burst and vertical movement options are offset by his aerial drift speed, run, and walk, which range from mediocre to downright slow for the character. Mastering Falco's movement requires focused practice, and even then he can feel disappointingly slow on the ground.
Trouble Ending Stocks: While falco's combo options are unreal, and his Down air can take stocks very early, his traditional killing tools like his smash attacks are very flawed, and he struggles to confirm off of grab. Mastering his edgeguards and unique setups (such as laser into dtilt or fsmash) is critical to improving with the bird
Harsh Skill Curve: Falco's steep execution requirements, awkward kill confirms, and glass cannon fragility have lead to the bird being notoriously difficult and inconsistent at all levels of play. Furthermore, fighting opponents who are adept at defensive options such as SDI and Powershielding can create serious issues for growing Falco mains, as they can dramatically disrupt the most important parts of Falco's game plan.

Physics

Weight	80 (20th)
Fall Speed	3.1/Fast 3.5 (1st)
Gravity	0.17 (2nd)
Ground Movement
Walk Speed	1.4 (3rd)
Initial Dash Speed	1.9 (25th)
Initial Dash Length	11f (8th)
Run Speed	1.5 (25th)
Traction	0.8 (9th)
Jumping
Jumpsquat	5f (17th)
Jump Height	Full 51.5/Short 11.58/Air 41.778 (1st/16th/1st)
Air Speed	0.85 (18th)
Air Acceleration	0.05 (16th)

Ground Moves

Jab

Jab
Jab (5AAA)

Jab 1	First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
	-%	-	-	-	Normal	-
Placeholder
Jab 2	First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
	-%	-	-	-	Normal	-
Placeholder
Rapid Jab	First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
	-	-	- (finisher)	-	-	-
	Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
	-	-	-	-	Normal	-
Placeholder

Dash Attack

Jumping Side Kick
Dash Attack (d.A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

fTilt

Bird Kick
fTilt (t.6A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

uTilt

Back Kick
uTilt (t.8A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

dTilt

Bird Sweep
dTilt (t.2A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

fSmash

Roundhouse Kick
fSmash (s.6A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

uSmash

Flip Kick
uSmash (s.8A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

dSmash

Falco Split
dSmash (s.2A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Aerial Moves

nAir

Flying Kick
nAir (j.5A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

fAir

Cyclone Kick
fAir (j.6A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

bAir

Reverse Spin Kick
bAir (j.4A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

uAir

Falco Flip
uAir (j.8A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

dAir

Air Drill
One stock coming right up
dAir (j.2A)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
5	19	25	0	18	<5 29>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 12 / Late: 9	Clean: 10 / Late: 20	100	290	Normal	7
Falco Down air is a spinning corkscrew that possesses the rare and powerful property of being a true spike; meaning that when connected in the air it sends the opponent at a harsh, downward angle that CAN NOT be cancelled with a meteor cancel. When connected on the ground, it will either leave the opponent in lengthy grounded hitstun for a shine, or pop them straight up for another combo. This property combined with the moves incredible active time, damage, hitstun, shieldstun, speed, and hitbox, create one of melee's most oppressive combo and pressure tools, which also synergizes fantastically with the rest of falco's kit. Notably, down air is often used to hit an opponent that has been popped up by shine, knocking them back to the ground where they will be shined or down aired again to continue or repeat the combo, a combo loop known as "pillaring" which is crucial to falco's punish game. Throw in some edgeguarding applications and some round winning stock trades, and down air is a move that falco mains will enjoy (and have enjoyed already) for decades

Special Moves

Blaster

Blaster
Get used to seeing this
nB (5B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
23 *13 in air	99	57	0	0	<0 42>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 3 / Late: n/a	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	n/a	0	Normal	0
The most powerful projectile in melee, yet also one of its simplest. Falco fires a long laser in a straight line from his pistol, which deals low percent and has only a couple frames of hitstun. The magic of this move happens when it is performed in the air due to it's lengthy endlag being completely cancelled by Falco's landing animation. Performing this aerial laser from a short hop (known as short-hop laser or "SHL") is absolutely crucial to falco's neutral game, and acts as one of the most spammable, low commitment, and downright frustrating options in the game. This move is not unpunishable however, and opponents who are skilled at fighting falco can call you out with movement or powershields to create openings. Nonetheless, the sheer amount of different ways falco can mixup lasers in/for his offense and neutral is staggering, and should be practiced and exploited by falco as much as possible.

Falco Phantasm

Falco Phantasm
sideB (4/6B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Fire Bird

Fire Bird
upB (8B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Reflector

Reflector
Blip Blip baby
downB (2B)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
1	1	19 can be held	n/a	n/a	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 8 / Late: n/a	Clean: 50 / Late: n/a	50	84	lightning	5
One of two legendary shine moves, falco's down b is one of the strongest moves in the entire franchise. Added to the game as a way to reflect projectiles, down b has a small hitbox on the very first frame of the move. On hit, this 1 frame move has unreasonable amounts of hitstun, the perfect vertical knockback angle for combos, excellent frame data on shield and much more. The move can also be jump cancelled allowing a player to perform a wavedash immediately after shining; this technique is known as a Waveshine and it is Meta Defining, meaning it is absolutely crucial for falco mains to practice this. Experienced players using this technique in tandem with falco's powerful aerials and controlling laser are able to string together some absolutely dizzying offense, that can not only blow through any of your opponents defenses when done thoughtfully, but can also convert into high damaging and even lethal combos due to shine's fantastic on-hit properties. This only scratches the surface of what this move is capable of, and while it does have slight weaknesses in the form of a very small hitbox, and its susceptabiliy to SDI, the only real limitation of down-b is in the imagination and execution of it's user.

Grabs & Throws

Grab

Grab
Grab (Z)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Dash Grab

Grab
d.Grab (d.Z)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Pummel

Knee
g.A

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

fThrow

Elbow Bash
fThrow (g.6)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

bThrow

Skeet Blaster
bThrow (g.4)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

uThrow

Star Blaster
uThrow (g.8)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

dThrow

Floor Blaster
dThrow (g.2)

First Active	Active	Recovery	IASA	Landing Lag	Autocancel
0	0	0	0	0	<0 0>
Damage	Base Knockback	Knockback Growth	Angle	Effect	On Shield
Clean: 0 / Late: 0	Clean: 0 / Late: 0	0	0	Normal	0
Placeholder

Advanced Frame Data

This table shows the frame data for all of Falco's non-special moves. Including shield advantage at different timings and cancels.

Shield Advantage
move	start	end	lcancelledLandingLag	autoCancelAfter	iasa	missedLcancelLandingLag	totalFrames	damage	shieldstun	bestShieldAdvantage	lcancelledShieldAdvantage	missedLcancelShieldAdvantage	earlyHitAutoCancelledShieldAdvantage	lateHitAutoCancelledShieldAdvantage	earlyHitIASACancelledShieldAdvantage	lateHitIASACancelledShieldAdvantage	earlyHitTotalFramesShieldAdvantage	lateHitTotalFramesShieldAdvantage
ftilt_mh	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_mh	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_mh	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
dtilt	7	9	N\A	N\A	28	N\A	29	13	7	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-13	-11	-15	-13
dtilt	7	9	N\A	N\A	28	N\A	29	13	7	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-13	-11	-15	-13
dtilt	7	9	N\A	N\A	28	N\A	29	13	7	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-13	-11	-15	-13
uair	8	9	9	25	36	18	39	6	4	-5	-5	-14	-17	-16	-23	-22	-27	-26
uair	8	9	9	25	36	18	39	6	4	-5	-5	-14	-17	-16	-23	-22	-27	-26
uair	8	9	9	25	36	18	39	6	4	-5	-5	-14	-17	-16	-23	-22	-27	-26
uair	11	14	9	25	36	18	39	10	6	-3	-3	-12	-12	-9	-18	-15	-22	-19
uair	11	14	9	25	36	18	39	10	6	-3	-3	-12	-12	-9	-18	-15	-22	-19
uair	11	14	9	25	36	18	39	10	6	-3	-3	-12	-12	-9	-18	-15	-22	-19
ftilt_l	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_l	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_l	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_h	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_h	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_h	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
dashattack	4	7	N\A	N\A	36	N\A	39	9	6	-22	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-25	-22	-29	-26
dashattack	8	17	N\A	N\A	36	N\A	39	6	4	-14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-23	-14	-27	-18
dair	5	14	9	29	N\A	18	49	12	7	-2	-2	-11	-21	-12	N\A	N\A	-37	-28
dair	5	14	9	29	N\A	18	49	12	7	-2	-2	-11	-21	-12	N\A	N\A	-37	-28
dair	15	24	9	29	N\A	18	49	9	6	-3	-3	-12	-12	-3	N\A	N\A	-28	-19
dair	15	24	9	29	N\A	18	49	9	6	-3	-3	-12	-12	-3	N\A	N\A	-28	-19
bair	4	7	10	22	38	20	39	15	8	-2	-2	-12	-14	-11	-25	-22	-27	-24
bair	4	7	10	22	38	20	39	15	8	-2	-2	-12	-14	-11	-25	-22	-27	-24
bair	4	7	10	22	38	20	39	9	6	-4	-4	-14	-16	-13	-27	-24	-29	-26
bair	8	19	10	22	38	20	39	9	6	-1	-4	-14	-12	-1	-23	-12	-25	-14
bair	8	19	10	22	38	20	39	9	6	-1	-4	-14	-12	-1	-23	-12	-25	-14
bair	8	19	10	22	38	20	39	9	6	-1	-4	-14	-12	-1	-23	-12	-25	-14
usmash	7	10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	43	14	8	-25	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-28	-25
usmash	7	10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	43	14	8	-25	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-28	-25
usmash	11	15	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	43	12	7	-21	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-25	-21
usmash	11	15	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	43	12	7	-21	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-25	-21
jab2	2	3	N\A	N\A	18	N\A	19	4	3	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-12	-11	-14	-13
jab2	2	3	N\A	N\A	18	N\A	19	4	3	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-12	-11	-14	-13
jab1	2	3	N\A	N\A	16	N\A	17	4	3	-9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-10	-9	-12	-11
jab1	2	3	N\A	N\A	16	N\A	17	4	3	-9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-10	-9	-12	-11
ftilt_m	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_m	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_m	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
nair	4	7	7	36	42	15	49	12	7	0	0	-8	-29	-26	-30	-27	-38	-35
nair	4	7	7	36	42	15	49	12	7	0	0	-8	-29	-26	-30	-27	-38	-35
nair	4	7	7	36	42	15	49	12	7	0	0	-8	-29	-26	-30	-27	-38	-35
nair	8	31	7	36	42	15	49	9	6	-1	-1	-9	-26	-3	-27	-4	-35	-12
nair	8	31	7	36	42	15	49	9	6	-1	-1	-9	-26	-3	-27	-4	-35	-12
nair	8	31	7	36	42	15	49	9	6	-1	-1	-9	-26	-3	-27	-4	-35	-12
dsmash	6	10	N\A	N\A	46	N\A	49	16	9	-26	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-30	-26	-34	-30
dsmash	6	10	N\A	N\A	46	N\A	49	16	9	-26	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-30	-26	-34	-30
dsmash	6	10	N\A	N\A	46	N\A	49	13	7	-28	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-32	-28	-36	-32
dsmash	6	10	N\A	N\A	46	N\A	49	13	7	-28	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-32	-28	-36	-32
utilt	5	11	N\A	N\A	23	N\A	23	9	6	-5	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-11	-5	-12	-6
utilt	5	11	N\A	N\A	23	N\A	23	9	6	-5	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-11	-5	-12	-6
ftilt_ml	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_ml	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
ftilt_ml	5	9	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	26	9	6	-11	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-15	-11
fair	6	8	11	48	53	22	59	9	6	-5	-5	-16	-40	-38	-40	-38	-47	-45
fair	6	8	11	48	53	22	59	9	6	-5	-5	-16	-40	-38	-40	-38	-47	-45
fair	16	18	11	48	53	22	59	8	5	-6	-6	-17	-31	-29	-31	-29	-38	-36
fair	16	18	11	48	53	22	59	8	5	-6	-6	-17	-31	-29	-31	-29	-38	-36
fair	24	26	11	48	53	22	59	7	5	-6	-6	-17	-23	-21	-23	-21	-30	-28
fair	24	26	11	48	53	22	59	7	5	-6	-6	-17	-23	-21	-23	-21	-30	-28
fair	33	35	11	48	53	22	59	5	4	-7	-7	-18	-15	-13	-15	-13	-22	-20
fair	33	35	11	48	53	22	59	5	4	-7	-7	-18	-15	-13	-15	-13	-22	-20
fair	43	45	11	48	53	22	59	3	3	-4	-8	-19	-6	-4	-6	-4	-13	-11
fair	43	45	11	48	53	22	59	3	3	-4	-8	-19	-6	-4	-6	-4	-13	-11
fsmash_m	12	16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	39	17	9	-14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-18	-14
fsmash_m	12	16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	39	17	9	-14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-18	-14
fsmash_m	12	16	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	39	17	9	-14	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-18	-14
fsmash_m	17	21	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	39	14	8	-10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-14	-10
fsmash_m	17	21	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	39	14	8	-10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-14	-10
fsmash_m	17	21	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	39	14	8	-10	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	N\A	-14	-10

Game Navigation

General

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GameCube Controller Modifications •

GameCube Controller Mod Documents •

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Characters

Non-Playable Characters

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |name=Falco
 |discord=HUxvTdy
-|vods=https://vods.co/melee/character/Falco
+|vods=https://vods.co/melee?selection=51
 |image=SSBM_Falco_Portrait.png
 |weight=80 [[Super Smash Bros. Melee/Attributes#Weight|(20th)]]
@@ Line 239: / Line 239: @@
 }}
-=====Other attacks=====
+== Aerial Moves ==
-*[[Ledge attack]]- Throws himself onto the stage with both feet sticking out. 8% damage.
+===== <span class="invisible-header">nAir</span> =====
-*100% ledge attack- Slowly gets up and kicks in front. 8% damage.
+{{MoveData
-*[[Floor attack]]- Gets up and kicks on his left, then right. 6% damage.
+|name=Flying Kick
-====[[Aerial attack]]s====
+|input=nAir (j.5A)
-*[[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.
+|subtitle=
-*[[Back aerial]]- Kicks behind him. Sex kick. Good for KO-ing, and a great edgeguarder. 9-15% damage.
+|image=
-*[[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.
+|data=
-*[[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.
+{{AttackData-SSBM
-*[[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.
+|factive=0
+|active=0
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description= * Placeholder
+}}
+}}
+===== <span class="invisible-header">fAir</span> =====
+{{MoveData
+|name=Cyclone Kick
+|input=fAir (j.6A)
+|subtitle=
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
+|active=0
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description= * Placeholder
+}}
+}}
+===== <span class="invisible-header">bAir</span> =====
+{{MoveData
+|name=Reverse Spin Kick
+|input=bAir (j.4A)
+|subtitle=
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
+|active=0
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description= * Placeholder
+}}
+}}
+===== <span class="invisible-header">uAir</span> =====
+{{MoveData
+|name=Falco Flip
+|input=uAir (j.8A)
+|subtitle=
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
+|active=0
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description= * Placeholder
+}}
+}}
+===== <span class="invisible-header">dAir</span> =====
+{{MoveData
+|name=Air Drill
+|input=dAir (j.2A)
+|subtitle= One stock coming right up
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=5
+|active=19
+|recovery=25
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=7
+|landlag=18
+|autocancel=<5 29>
+|damage=Clean: 12 / Late: 9
+|bkb=Clean: 10 / Late: 20
+|kbg=100
+|angle=290
+|effect=Normal
+|description= Falco Down air is a spinning corkscrew that possesses the rare and powerful property of being a true spike; meaning that when connected in the air it sends the opponent at a harsh, downward angle that CAN NOT be cancelled with a meteor cancel. When connected on the ground, it will either leave the opponent in lengthy grounded hitstun for a shine, or pop them straight up for another combo. This property combined with the moves incredible active time, damage, hitstun, shieldstun, speed, and hitbox, create one of melee's most oppressive combo and pressure tools, which also synergizes fantastically with the rest of falco's kit. Notably, down air is often used to hit an opponent that has been popped up by shine, knocking them back to the ground where they will be shined or down aired again to continue or repeat the combo, a combo loop known as "pillaring" which is crucial to falco's punish game. Throw in some edgeguarding applications and some round winning stock trades, and down air is a move that falco mains will enjoy (and have enjoyed already) for decades
+}}
+}}
-====[[Grab]]s & [[throw]]s====
+== Special Moves ==
-*[[Pummel]]- Knees foe. 2-3% per pummel.
+===== <span class="invisible-header">Blaster</span> =====
-*[[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
+{{MoveData
-*[[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.
+|name=Blaster
-*[[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.
+|input=nB (5B)
-*[[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. Not too useful due to it being easy to tech out of.
+|subtitle= Get used to seeing this
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=23 *13 in air
+|active=99
+|recovery=57
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 42>
+|damage=Clean: 3 / Late: n/a
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=n/a
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description= The most powerful projectile in melee, yet also one of its simplest. Falco fires a long laser in a straight line from his pistol, which deals low percent and has only a couple frames of hitstun. The magic of this move happens when it is performed in the air due to it's lengthy endlag being completely cancelled by Falco's landing animation. Performing this aerial laser from a short hop (known as  short-hop laser or "SHL") is absolutely crucial to falco's neutral game, and acts as one of the most spammable, low commitment, and downright frustrating options in the game. This move is not unpunishable however, and opponents who are skilled at fighting falco can call you out with movement or powershields to create openings. Nonetheless, the sheer amount of different ways falco can mixup lasers in/for his offense and neutral is staggering, and should be practiced and exploited by falco as much as possible.
+}}
+}}
-=="B" Moves List==
+===== <span class="invisible-header">Falco Phantasm</span> =====
-===Move Analysis===
+{{MoveData
-*Neutral B
+|name=Falco Phantasm
-The Blaster is Falco's neutral special move in his Melee incarnation, which, like Fox, shoots a laser gun to damage faraway opponents. It is significantly different from that of Fox's: the Blaster has a slower firing rate and longer end lag, (though it fires faster in the air, but not as fast as Fox's), and each beam stuns the opponent in addition to doing damage. Falco's Blaster closely resembles Fox's Blaster as it appeared in the original Smash Bros. The end lag can be skipped if used during a short hop. Falco's Blaster is mainly used from long range to help build damage for later KO attempts, and as an aid in approaching. It has set knockback. It is also used for setting up kills, especially versus Captain Falcon and Ganondorf, as it can be fired numerous times off the ledge to force these characters to recover the same way each time.
+|input=sideB (4/6B)
+|subtitle=
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
+|active=0
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description= * Placeholder
+}}
+}}
+===== <span class="invisible-header">Fire Bird</span> =====
+{{MoveData
+|name=Fire Bird
+|input=upB (8B)
+|subtitle=
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
+|active=0
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description= * Placeholder
+}}
+}}
+===== <span class="invisible-header">Reflector</span> =====
+{{MoveData
+|name=Reflector
+|input=downB (2B)
+|subtitle= Blip Blip baby
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=1
+|active=1
+|recovery=19 can be held
+|iasa=n/a
+|onshield=5
+|landlag=n/a
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 8 / Late: n/a
+|bkb=Clean: 50 / Late: n/a
+|kbg=50
+|angle=84
+|effect=lightning
+|description= One of two legendary shine moves, falco's down b is one of the strongest moves in the entire franchise. Added to the game as a way to reflect projectiles, down b has a small hitbox on the very first frame of the move. On hit, this 1 frame move has unreasonable amounts of hitstun, the perfect vertical knockback angle for combos, excellent frame data on shield and much more. The move can also be jump cancelled allowing a player to perform a wavedash immediately after shining; this technique is known as a Waveshine and it is '''Meta Defining''', meaning it is absolutely crucial for falco mains to practice this. Experienced players using this technique in tandem with falco's powerful aerials and controlling laser are able to string together some absolutely dizzying offense, that can not only blow through any of your opponents defenses when done thoughtfully, but can also convert into high damaging and even lethal combos due to shine's fantastic on-hit properties. This only scratches the surface of what this move is capable of, and while it does have slight weaknesses in the form of a very small hitbox, and its susceptabiliy to SDI, the only real limitation of down-b is in the imagination and execution of it's user.
+}}
+}}
-*Side B
+==Grabs & Throws==
-Falco quickly dashes at the opponent leaving a trail of blueish-tinted afterimages behind him. The opponent can be hit by Falco or any one of the afterimages. Despite the fact that the move is an attack, it is rarely used as such; It is primarily used as a recovery technique, due to its speed. When used as an attack, it deals about 7% damage.
+===== <span class="invisible-header">Grab</span> =====
+{{MoveData
+|name=Grab
+|input=Grab (Z)
+|subtitle=
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
+|active=0
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description=* Placeholder
+}}
+}}
-Like the Fox Illusion and Wolf Flash, the Falco Phantasm can be ended early by pressing the button for a special move before its animation is complete, but a few frames must pass by before it will work. An easy way to time the canceling of this move would be to press the special button at the exact point the high pitched 'cling' noise is played. While not an ideal move for KOing, the move's meteor smash can be useful for counter edgeguarding while recovering, but is highly unlikely to KO the opponent even at high percentages, as it is exceedingly weak. The Phantasm can also be used for a very swift approach. Short hopping slightly increases the distance traveled. It, along with the Fox Illusion, can be reversed by quickly tapping the control stick in the opposite direction. The sparkle will stay in its original position, which can lead to mindgames.
+===== <span class="invisible-header">Dash Grab</span> =====
+{{MoveData
-*Up B
+|name=Grab
-Fire Bird is Falco's up special move in both Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
+|input=d.Grab (d.Z)
+|subtitle=
-Fire Bird is almost identical to Fire Fox, but with some small differences. Unlike Fire Fox, which only hits an opponent once after Fox starts moving, Fire Bird can hit opponents with multiple small hits after a few frames when the move is charged and when moving, followed by a stronger finishing blow similar to Lucas' PK Thunder 2. On the downside, Falco travels a shorter distance than Fox or Wolf. Its best use would be vertical or diagonal recovery because it has lots of start-up, short distance, and Falco falls almost straight down after using it, meaning it can easily be edge-hogged or hit out of. To maximize the usefulness of Fire Bird, one should try to position Falco exactly under the ledge and use it completely vertical, because then it can sweetspot easier. Fire Bird doesn't burn opponents during the charge-up animation in Melee, unlike in Brawl.
+|image=
+|data=
-*Down B
+{{AttackData-SSBM
-In Melee, Falco's Reflector is identical to Fox's, although it sends opponents upwards when used as an attack; because of this, Falco cannot waveshine combo, unlike Fox. He can, however, Star KO with his shine.
+|factive=0
+|active=0
-==Combos==
+|recovery=0
-This section is under construction.
+|iasa=0
-TODO:
+|onshield=0
-# Comboing on and around platforms
+|landlag=0
-# Basic kill setups (ex. Jab -> Fsmash or Dtilt/Dash Attack -> Dair DI mixup at ledge)
+|autocancel=<0 0>
-# How to brutally murder floaties on Yoshi's story.
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
-# Combo extension/followups
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
-===Pillaring===
+|effect=Normal
-The pillar is the foundation of nearly all of Falco's combos. It takes advantage of Falco's unmatched vertical mobility and the synergy between his Shine/Up-Tilt and Down-Air to repeatedly juggle an opponent up and down to high percents.
+|description=* Placeholder
+}}
-====How-To====
+}}
-# Shine (down-b) to launch an opponent upwards.
+===== <span class="invisible-header">Pummel</span> =====
-# Jump-cancel the shine into a wavedash in the direction of the opponent.
+{{MoveData
-# Jump upwards, matching the opponent's DI trajectory out of shine. Whether to SH or FH depends upon percent and matchup.
+|name=Knee
-# Down-Air the opponent back towards the stage. The timing of the dair can be adjusted to maximize the use of knockback stacking.
+|input=g.A
-# Fast-fall and aerial drift to follow the opponent's DI trajectory. With proper knockback stacking falco should reach the ground just before the opponent.
+|subtitle=
-# Repeat
+|image=
+|data=
-At higher percents up-tilt can be used instead of shine to prevent an opponent from hitting the ground and being able to tech out of the combo.
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
-====Escaping====
+|active=0
-TODO: Re-write this section to talk about DI, Knockdown %s and teching, SDI, and other actually relevant info.
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
-Pillaring can be shield grabbed or broken out of by [[Super Smash Bros. Melee/Samus|Samus]]'s up-b, Fox's shine, [[Super Smash Bros. Melee/Luigi|Luigi]]'s neutral air; and a few other moves. The exact timing of when to break out of the pillar depends on how the opponent times his aerials and the breakout attack used.
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
-===Combos on Platforms===
+|autocancel=<0 0>
-====Jump Shine -> Waveland====
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
-====Platform Tech-Chasing====
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
-===Combo Extension===
+|effect=Normal
-Upair, Nair, Laser, Techchasing (again)
+|description=* Placeholder
-This is also probably a good place to talk about DI mixups.
+}}
+}}
-===Ending a Combo===
+===== <span class="invisible-header">fThrow</span> =====
+{{MoveData
-Here we talk about setups to kill or knock offstage with a number of moves.
+|name=Elbow Bash
-*Fsmash
+|input=fThrow (g.6)
-*Bair
+|subtitle=
-*Dtilt
+|image=
-*Fthrow
+|data=
-*Dair
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
-==Strategies==
+|active=0
-===Lasers (SHL/B)===
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
-Falco's neutral-b or "Laser" is the single most powerful and nuanced tool in his arsenal. On hit it deals 3% damage and (more importantly) 4f of hitlag and 8f of hitstun. This makes laser a valuable tool for interrupting an opponent's movement or attack, creating frame advantage falco can leverage to attack or harassing at long-range. Because of Falco's relatively low speed, he relies heavily on laser to slow faster opponents down. Against even slower characters like Peach laser serves as a powerful lockdown tool, stuffing movement almost completely and forcing them to commit to a whiff-punishable option.
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
-SHL stands for "Short-Hop Laser/Blaster" and is very disruptive to opponents. A laser performed while Falco is airborne will auto-cancel upon landing (experiencing only 4f of landing lag), giving Falco the ability to quickly shoot lasers while weaving in and out of an opponent's threat range - pressuring them and setting up for an offensive mixup.
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
-In order to do a SHL/B, one must short-hop, and shoot a laser, and then fast-fall. Depending on a player's timing, Falco can shoot lasers at a wide variety of heights.
+|angle=0
--High Laser: Short-Hop > Immediate Laser > Late fastfall. This is useful for stuffing opponents attempting to jump. This is particularly strong against opponents with powerful aerial options, like Falcon and Jigglypuff
+|effect=Normal
--Low Laser: Short-Hop > Late Laser > Slightly delayed fastfall. Low lasers are difficult to powershield, making them a good option for pressuring an opponent or stuffing grounded movement like Fox's dashdance.
+|description=* Placeholder
+}}
+}}
-When performed correctly, the player is free to move about while shooting. A player can send flurries of SHL/Bs while approaching an opponent. 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 both opening up opponents' defenses and protecting himself.
+===== <span class="invisible-header">bThrow</span> =====
+{{MoveData
-===Waveshining===
+|name=Skeet Blaster
+|input=bThrow (g.4)
-===Offense===
+|subtitle=
+|image=
-====Approaching Laser====
+|data=
-TODO: Writeup about the important of dashdance mixups with approaching laser.
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
-====Shield Pressure====
+|active=0
-TODO: Writeup about shield pressure fundamentals.
+|recovery=0
-*Timing mixups and shine, shine->grab, and the difference between early and late aerials on shield.
+|iasa=0
-*Fiction's explanation of shield pressure as "beats" is really good and should be used here
+|onshield=0
-*Westballz pressure and yes I know it's really cool but also it will probably get you killed.
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
-Falco's down air (also known as the Quailbird) is one of the best [[Spike]]s 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]].
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
-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.
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
-===Boost grab===
+|description=* Placeholder
+}}
-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.
+}}
+===== <span class="invisible-header">uThrow</span> =====
-==Match-ups==
+{{MoveData
-===Serious Advantage Match-ups===
+|name=Star Blaster
-Y.Link, Zelda, Mew2, Yoshi, G&W, Ness, Bowser, Kirby, Pichu
+|input=uThrow (g.8)
-===Advantage Match-ups===
+|subtitle=
-C.Falcon, Doc, Ganon, Pikachu, Mario, DK, Luigi, Link, Roy
+|image=
-===Fair Match-ups===
+|data=
-Fox, Marth, Puff, Sheik, Peach, Samus, IC
+{{AttackData-SSBM
-===Disadvantage Match-ups===
+|factive=0
-None
+|active=0
-===Serious Disadvantage Match-ups===
+|recovery=0
-None
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description=* Placeholder
+}}
+}}
+===== <span class="invisible-header">dThrow</span> =====
+{{MoveData
+|name=Floor Blaster
+|input=dThrow (g.2)
+|subtitle=
+|image=
+|data=
+{{AttackData-SSBM
+|factive=0
+|active=0
+|recovery=0
+|iasa=0
+|onshield=0
+|landlag=0
+|autocancel=<0 0>
+|damage=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|bkb=Clean: 0 / Late: 0
+|kbg=0
+|angle=0
+|effect=Normal
+|description=* Placeholder
+}}
+}}
 ==Advanced Frame Data==