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For those of you interested, this is a minor list of Brawl techniques, most of which are pretty basic but at the same time inconspicuous. Most don't require any precise button sequences. Some of these were in Melee, some are not. I didn't discover any of these. Most of them were found and posted at Smashboards.com, though some are also mentioned in the Smash Bros Dojo.
Small Jump
What it is: A technique to do a very low jump on the ground. Many of you already know about it, either from playing Melee or from frequenting the Dojo or perhaps even Smashboards.com, but it's still important to point out. When a character starts a ground jump, he/she/it remains on the ground for a very brief period of time before becoming airborne. If you let go of the jump button (or Up on the analog stick) before the character leaves the ground, your character will perform a very low jump.
How to do it: Tap the jump button quickly (it must be depressed by the time the character is airborne.)
Applications: Do low-flying aerials to expand your ground options greatly.
How to do it: Tap the jump button quickly (it must be depressed by the time the character is airborne.)
Applications: Do low-flying aerials to expand your ground options greatly.
Automatic DI
What it is: A technique to change the angle at which you're launched by an opponent's attack. This one was also in Melee. If you were holding a direction on the Analog Stick when you were launched by the foe, the angle of your flight path will be adjusted in that direction. Holding the same or opposite direction as the attack will not increase/decrease the distance you travel. However, holding the perpendicular direction can change the angle by as much as 30 degrees!
How to do it: Simply be holding a direction (preferrably perpendicular) on the analog stick before your character gets launched by an attack. You can even hold the direction before getting hit/thrown if you anticipate the attack that's going to hit you.
Note that whenever you get hit by an opponent's attack, the both of you freeze briefly. This is called "hit lag." Generally, more powerful attacks have more hit lag. Even if you fail to predict the enemy's attack, you can still DI the attack during the hit lag if you react to it. DI stands for "Directional Influence," and the term is used most often in the context of Automatic DI, by the way. E.g. "You need to DI Mario's forward smash upwards."
Applications: Many. This is one of the most important techniques in the game. If you're hit by an attack that sends you straight up, DI left or right to make your flight path diagonal, making you get less close to the stage's top boundary. Likewise, If you get sent by an attack that sends you mostly vertical but a bit diagonally, DI using the perpendicular direction that would lower the angle. If you get hit by a mostly horizontal attack, DI upwards to both get you further away from the horizontal boundaries and to give you more height to come back with. DI can also get you out of juggles, either by sending you at an angle at which the opponent can't follow up with another attack, or by forcing the opponent to guess which way you're going to go. If you get hit downwards by a spike or meteor smash when off the stage, DI'ing towards the stage could also save your life.
How to do it: Simply be holding a direction (preferrably perpendicular) on the analog stick before your character gets launched by an attack. You can even hold the direction before getting hit/thrown if you anticipate the attack that's going to hit you.
Note that whenever you get hit by an opponent's attack, the both of you freeze briefly. This is called "hit lag." Generally, more powerful attacks have more hit lag. Even if you fail to predict the enemy's attack, you can still DI the attack during the hit lag if you react to it. DI stands for "Directional Influence," and the term is used most often in the context of Automatic DI, by the way. E.g. "You need to DI Mario's forward smash upwards."
Applications: Many. This is one of the most important techniques in the game. If you're hit by an attack that sends you straight up, DI left or right to make your flight path diagonal, making you get less close to the stage's top boundary. Likewise, If you get sent by an attack that sends you mostly vertical but a bit diagonally, DI using the perpendicular direction that would lower the angle. If you get hit by a mostly horizontal attack, DI upwards to both get you further away from the horizontal boundaries and to give you more height to come back with. DI can also get you out of juggles, either by sending you at an angle at which the opponent can't follow up with another attack, or by forcing the opponent to guess which way you're going to go. If you get hit downwards by a spike or meteor smash when off the stage, DI'ing towards the stage could also save your life.
Smash DI
What it is: A technique to move your character a small distance while he/she/it is in hit lag from being hit by an attack. Like Automatic DI, this came straight from Melee. If you smash the Analog Stick in a direction while you're in hit lag (see Automatic DI), your character will "jump" a bit in that direction. Can also be done while shielding an attack, but not recommended in most cases because you'll usually end up rolling afterwards.
How to do it: Smash the analog stick in the direction you wish to go while in hit lag. You can do this once per hit lag frame, though human reflexes and finger speed will generally only to do it once, twice tops on any single-hit hit attack. Fortunately, attacks with multiple hits give you that many more opportunities to do this.
Applications: Use this against multi-hit attacks to get out! For example, if you get hit by Fox's down-air, you can smash DI to whichever side is his front to get out of the up-tilt that he'll most likely follow up with in an attempt to juggle you. Frantic use of Smash DI can also get you out of Mario and Samus's Up-B moves, especially if you do it downwards. Smash DI'ing the first hit of Fox's deadly up-air can sometimes cause the second hit (which is the one that actually KO's you) to miss altogether. Likewise, if you Smash DI like crazy you can get out of Smart Bombs and the Combo Cannon's laser in the Halberd stage before the final hit kills you!
How to do it: Smash the analog stick in the direction you wish to go while in hit lag. You can do this once per hit lag frame, though human reflexes and finger speed will generally only to do it once, twice tops on any single-hit hit attack. Fortunately, attacks with multiple hits give you that many more opportunities to do this.
Applications: Use this against multi-hit attacks to get out! For example, if you get hit by Fox's down-air, you can smash DI to whichever side is his front to get out of the up-tilt that he'll most likely follow up with in an attempt to juggle you. Frantic use of Smash DI can also get you out of Mario and Samus's Up-B moves, especially if you do it downwards. Smash DI'ing the first hit of Fox's deadly up-air can sometimes cause the second hit (which is the one that actually KO's you) to miss altogether. Likewise, if you Smash DI like crazy you can get out of Smart Bombs and the Combo Cannon's laser in the Halberd stage before the final hit kills you!
Sliding shield
What it is: In Brawl, when you put up your shield while you run, you slide a certain distance before coming to a complete stop (in Melee, shielding while running stopped you instantly.)
How to do it: Simply put your shield up while you run.
Applications: If the foe is trying to keep you at bay, this can allow you to close the gap between the two of you safely. This is also the only safe and quick way to stop a run in Brawl, because you can no longer cancel running into crouching like in Melee.
How to do it: Simply put your shield up while you run.
Applications: If the foe is trying to keep you at bay, this can allow you to close the gap between the two of you safely. This is also the only safe and quick way to stop a run in Brawl, because you can no longer cancel running into crouching like in Melee.
Backward jumps
What it is: When you try to turn around during a run, the character goes into an animation in which he tries to break and turn around before running in the opposite direction. In Brawl, the very instant this turn-around animation begins, the character is considered to be facing the other way. If you jump during this time, the character will thus jump facing back, and you'll still have practically all of horizontal momentum from running.
How to do it: While running, hit back and jump immediately afterwards. Hold forward again after jumping if you don't want to lose speed though.
Applications: Many characters have weak/bad forward-aerials, but strong back-airs. This lets you jump/small jump at your foe out of a run without losing speed, allowing you to use your back-air offensively. Conversely, if you're running from the foe, you could turn around to face him and defend yourself with your forward-air.
How to do it: While running, hit back and jump immediately afterwards. Hold forward again after jumping if you don't want to lose speed though.
Applications: Many characters have weak/bad forward-aerials, but strong back-airs. This lets you jump/small jump at your foe out of a run without losing speed, allowing you to use your back-air offensively. Conversely, if you're running from the foe, you could turn around to face him and defend yourself with your forward-air.
Edgehogging
What it is: Holding on the edge so your foe can't grab it.
How to do it: The fastest way to grab the edge when you're up on the stage is to run, then as soon as you're airborne, hit down to fastfall and then back to make sure you grab it (note that in Brawl you can grab edges facing any direction.) When you grab on to an edge you gain about half a second of invincibility, which can protect you against your opponent's Up-B when he attempts to recover. If you mistime it, or you just need more invincibility, hitting L or R will cause your character to get up on the stage while doing a roll, all the while being invincible until the roll is ending. No one can grab the edge even while you roll. Note that if you're hanging from the edge with a tether (Link's Hookshot for example,) no one can grab the edge either.
Applications: Prevent your foe from recovering. Note that tether recoveries are easy to edgehog because while they aim for free edges automatically now, if someone is hanging on to the edge, the edge is considered occupied and the tether won't even shoot off in that direction, let alone snap on. On the other hand, if a character is hanging from edge with his tether, others can't grab on either.
How to do it: The fastest way to grab the edge when you're up on the stage is to run, then as soon as you're airborne, hit down to fastfall and then back to make sure you grab it (note that in Brawl you can grab edges facing any direction.) When you grab on to an edge you gain about half a second of invincibility, which can protect you against your opponent's Up-B when he attempts to recover. If you mistime it, or you just need more invincibility, hitting L or R will cause your character to get up on the stage while doing a roll, all the while being invincible until the roll is ending. No one can grab the edge even while you roll. Note that if you're hanging from the edge with a tether (Link's Hookshot for example,) no one can grab the edge either.
Applications: Prevent your foe from recovering. Note that tether recoveries are easy to edgehog because while they aim for free edges automatically now, if someone is hanging on to the edge, the edge is considered occupied and the tether won't even shoot off in that direction, let alone snap on. On the other hand, if a character is hanging from edge with his tether, others can't grab on either.
Ledgehopped Attacks (Tether Recoveries only)
What it is: A technique that takes advantage of the invincibility time granted by grabbing on to a stage's edge to get back on while attacking. In Brawl, your character is not allowed to let go of the edge until his invincibility wears off (you can, however, choose the "standard" options of attacking, pulling yourself up, doing the ledge jump, or rolling before invincibility wears.) Tether recoveries are special in that they allow your character to let go of the edge almost instantly after you grab on. This allows you to let go, use your mid-air jump, and do an aerial to get on to the stage while being momentarily invincible.
How to do it: As soon as you grab the edge with your tether, hit down or back to let go, then use your mid-air jump and whatever attack you want, usually while holding forward to get back on the stage.
Applications: Pretty straightforward. Get back on the stage safely and possibly hit anyone attempting to stop you.
How to do it: As soon as you grab the edge with your tether, hit down or back to let go, then use your mid-air jump and whatever attack you want, usually while holding forward to get back on the stage.
Applications: Pretty straightforward. Get back on the stage safely and possibly hit anyone attempting to stop you.
Faster glide landing
Straightforward. Use your glide attack just before you land to bypass that annoying landing animation.
Standing Grab while running
What it is: A technique to do your standing grab while you run. In Melee, you could do jump cancelled grabs (that is, starting a jump but cancelling it into the grab before you leave the ground) to do your standing grab while you run. The reason this was desirable is because in most cases, a character's running grab takes longer to start and leaves you much more open if you miss it. In Brawl, you can no longer do JC'd grabs. However, because shielding while running doesn't cause you to stop immediately, this can be used instead.
How to do it: When running, let go of the analog stick and immediately hit your shield button, followed by the A button. You can also do it without letting go of the analog stick but you'd have to wait between putting the shield up and doing the grab.
Applications: In many cases, it's simply better to use your character's standing grab than their running grab.
How to do it: When running, let go of the analog stick and immediately hit your shield button, followed by the A button. You can also do it without letting go of the analog stick but you'd have to wait between putting the shield up and doing the grab.
Applications: In many cases, it's simply better to use your character's standing grab than their running grab.
Teching (aka Ukemi)
What it is: A technique to avoid ricocheting off of surfaces, or to avoid falling flat on the ground.
How to do it: Press L or R (all the way, make it click) slightly before hitting a wall. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SPAM THIS. Each time you press L or R, the game renders you unable to tech for a certain time frame if you don't tech anything during the window of opportunity. Mashing L/R will just throw away any chance you had of successfully teching.
Applications: Tech the ground to recover faster. Tech walls and ceilings so you don't bounce and so you regain control of your character.
EDIT: Forgot to add one thing. There's actually two varieties of wall teching. If you hold up, while you tech, your character will perform a wallkick-like move off of the wall. Otherwise, the character will simply fall after teching.
How to do it: Press L or R (all the way, make it click) slightly before hitting a wall. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SPAM THIS. Each time you press L or R, the game renders you unable to tech for a certain time frame if you don't tech anything during the window of opportunity. Mashing L/R will just throw away any chance you had of successfully teching.
Applications: Tech the ground to recover faster. Tech walls and ceilings so you don't bounce and so you regain control of your character.
EDIT: Forgot to add one thing. There's actually two varieties of wall teching. If you hold up, while you tech, your character will perform a wallkick-like move off of the wall. Otherwise, the character will simply fall after teching.
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