Super Smash Bros./Yoshi

Introduction

Yoshi ranks 6th on SSB's current tier list due to having the most damaging move in the game (down aerial), a very unique double jump which allows him to get out of combos and/or reduce knockback of moves and to DJC, and a unique shield that allows Yoshi to egg parry. However, despite having a these properties, Yoshi has a terrible grab and bad out of shield moves which prevents Yoshi from properly dealing with characters with high pressure, namely Kirby, Fox, and Pikachu.

Normal Move Analysis

Ground Moves

Normal

• Neutral attack- Double Kicks, little horizontal knockback on second kick, 3, 5%
• Forward tilt Kicks suddenly forward, 13% damage. Can be angled. Below-average upward diagonal knockback. Useful for setting up his forward aerial spike due to its hitstun. Referred to as the best Forward Tilt in SSB due to its very fast speed and good power.
• Up tilt Upwards headbutt, 11% damage with set upwards knockback. Great for setting up combos, and a very powerful move if used correctly
• Down tilt Tail sweeps in front of him, 10%, with set horizontal knockback. Great for edgeguarding.
• Dash attack Headbutt tackle, 12%, punishable due to a small bit of ending lag. Resembles Pikachu's, but with less lag.

Smash attacks

• Side smash Rears his head back [which can often throw off players attacking Yoshi] and then thrusts his head forward. Short ending lag, and has above-average horizontal knockback, 18%
• Up smash Forceful headbutt. Has good horizontal knockback from behind to top, average upwards knockback when hit near the end. 18%
• Down smash Tail sweeps on both sides, 14% on both sides, weak horizontal knockback for a smash attack, and has some ending lag

Other attacks

• Ledge attack- Twirls up and whips his tail. Short range. 6% damage.
• 100% ledge attack- Steadily gets up, reels his head back, and headbutt forward. 6% damage.
• Floor attack- swirls around, tailed extended. 6% damage.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial: Sex kick with below-average horizontal knockback. Yoshi's back heel has the highest priority of any Yoshi move and can be used to ledge guard. This move also is a great shield breaker when coupled with DJC, 9-14%.
• Forward aerial: Aerial spiking headbutt , great knockback for a spike of its speed, can KO at medium percentages and combos into other aerial attacks at lower percentages, 15-18%.
• Up aerial: Whips his tail upwards, does 12-15%, and very powerful in combos using DJC.
• Back aerial: Double Back Kick that has good horizontal knockback, does 12-14%
• Down aerial: Flutter Kick that is capable of spiking at high percentages, does 14 hits of 3-4%, a maximum of 56 %. Is the most powerful move (in terms of damage and combos) . It is a shield breaker when used fully on platforms and can combo out of and into other moves. Less useful due to being a drill. When double jump canceled, it can be a dangerous combo starter.

Grabs & throws

His grab consists of pulling his head back and then launching his tongue forward. Has long ending lag if missing, but has a good range.

• Forward throw, reels back with opponent in mouth and throws them forward, 9-12% of damage with good horizontal knockback
• Back throw turns around, and throws his opponent backwards, does 12-16% with better knockback than forward throw.

Matchups

Matchups	Pikachu	Fox	Kirby	C.Falcon	Mario	Yoshi	DK	Ness	Puff	Luigi	Link	Samus	Total
Yoshi	3.5	4	4	4	5	-	6	5	5	5	6	6	53.5	Yoshi
	Pikachu	Fox	Kirby	C.Falcon	Mario	Yoshi	DK	Ness	Puff	Luigi	Link	Samus	Total