20 Falco

First appearance :
StarFox (1993 - SNES)

Falco is a pleasant character to play with, with a lot of easy combos to pull out at his disposal, that offer a great reward. With his great jump height, the character can be easily controlled, and can be really devastating offstage.

Characteristics

 

Strengths

  • One of the greatest combo game
  • Highest jump height
  • Good edgeguard
  • Anti zoner
 

Weaknesses

  • Lacks mobility
  • Often the same approaches
  • Bad disadvantage
  • Punishable recovery

Matchups

Favourable

  • icône de donkey-kong
  • icône de king-k-rool
Combo food
  • icône de villageois
  • icône de duo-duck-hunt
  • icône de simon
Zoner
  • icône de snake
  • icône de entraineuse-wii-fit
Interesting advantage

Unfavourable

  • icône de lucina
  • icône de roy
  • icône de shulk
Swordsmen
  • icône de pikachu
  • icône de mr-game-and-watch
  • icône de amphinobi
Small size  

Stages

Favourable

  • Perfect platforms to combo
  • Small field against zoners

Unfavourable

  • Hard to get close
  • Lacks of platforms
 

Skills

Pro Tips

Best moves

  • UP TILT

    This is the most famous move of the character and also his most important tool. It is a great move against aerial approaches, and, most of all, an excellent combo starter on itself or on other moves. It can be performed in front of Falco or to hit backwards, the hitbox from the back being interesting to hit an opponent’s shield and for combos. A great tool that can lead to a lot of kill-confirms.

  • DOWN AIR

    Since 8.0.0, the move can more easily lead to kill-confirms, or help to start combos. This is an excellent move for pressuring, the opponent, thanks to the move’s speed, or even for ledgetrapping, since you can perform the move twice in one jump. When you perform it when landing on a shield, your opponent won’t be able to grab you, since you will always have the time to spot dodge !

  • BACK AIR

    Back Air is Falco’s most famous killmove, especially when performed on a combo with the Up Tilt. It is important to note that the first hitbox of the move has the greatest kill power.

  • FORWARD AIR

    It is a 6 hits multi-hit attack, which can be very useful to extend your combos, since you can drag down your opponent while doing it. It then allows you to perform a Grab or a Up Tilt after it. This move can also surprise you opponents, because it has a hitbox on your landing. Also, it is surely his best tool for edgeguarding, since it counters a lot of recovery, it can gimp opponents and can even easily kill. An amazing move as soon as your opponent finds himself in the air.

  • UP SMASH

    It is Falco’s quickest smash attack, coming out at frame 7, making of it a great out of shield option. Falco's legs are intangible while performing it, and it is impossible to contest the move if you land on it. Also, since 8.0.0, the move has grown larger than ever and stays active longer, while letting you hitting the opponent from Falco’s back. Now, it has become one of his best ways to kill.

  • DOWN B

    Shine allows Falco to reflect every projectiles from the frame 1, even if it leaves Falco quite vulnerable since he reflects in front of him. The fact he launches it makes of it an interesting move at distance, especially for edgeguarding, and a good way to counter zoners.

    • Contextual Options

    Quick Moves

    Safe on Shield

    OOS Options

    Jab

    Neutral Air

    Down B, Up Tilt

    Up Air

    Neutral Air

    Down Air

    Neutral Air

    Up Smash

    Up Air, Forward Air

     

    Before leaving

    Last tips

    Lombardifense

    Falco is not a character that can spam attacks on his opponent’s shield, and must be moreover played as a character that waits for the best time and heavily punishes his enemy with big combos. So, don’t stupidly mash Up Tilts in the hope to start a combo, but focus more on moving around, and using lasers and shines to create a rhythm in the neutral.

    Hands of my c

    Falco is a character that has many different ways at his disposal to vary his recovery, so use them. Lots of Falco players tend to forget it and will only double jump and use a Side B in order to grab the ledge. However, it is highly risky, and you also lose you precious double jump. Keep your second jump as much as you can, and learn all the different angles of your Up B, since it is possible to grab the ledge with the up B when you are above it.

    Don't hunt Leon

    Don’t forget that it remains dangerous to edgeguard as Falco, and that you must be sure of what you are doing. If you miss your advantage phase and if you have to come back with your Up B, it leaves the opponent a lot of time to take the stage control back. You must think about all the risks you are able to take, and to all the possible rewards of every action you make. Then better avoid it, for example, when you are losing the game, because it can lead you to an even more catastrophic situation.

    In a nutshell

    By playing Falco, pleasure will come from the fact that he is pleasant to take in hand. He is a fighter that leave many space to the player’s imagination, in his recovery, his combo game or even his punishes. However, there is nothing more satisfying to pull out than his combo game, and as soon as you perform your first combo starter, you know it will lead to a big phase. A character that doesn’t require a lot of effort to remember his combos and have fun, but that requires to perfectly know the basics and his technics in order to win the neutral.

    Going furhter

    For more informations and to progress faster

    Thanking ...

    Cataclyv / Destadik / Metera