When two of the fastest and strongest characters in the game go head to head, it's sure to make for a great match! With more Captain Falcon players breaking through into top 8, it's time Fox players figured out the matchup to keep their spot within the top 8.Lucky, who has had years of experience playing against S2J's Captain Falcon, gives his advice!

Neutral

This is one of the matchups where Fox will have to be quick thinking and smart to not get caught in Captain Falcon's combo starters. For example, if Captain Falcon can get a grab, it means there's a world of damage that he can put on Fox. Tech chasing is a massive part of Captain Falcon's game plan and it can often lead to death within a minute or so. Furthermore, an overshot aerial in the neutral can lead to a sticky end and Captain Falcon can often anticipate this and catch Fox with a fade back aerial such as a down-air stomp or an aerial in place. In these situations, Fox can choose to undershoot his aerials. This is one of the key parts of defeating Captain Falcon. Undershooting an aerial and following up with a turn around up-tilt or an immediate dash back into back-air in place will do wonders. Captain Falcon is looking to whiff punish your aerials, so this will make it difficult for him to get in.

Lucky says, "Undershoot, Undershoot, and Undershoot! Captain Falcon is an absolute monster when he retreats with aerial attacks or does them in place. If you don't move in to them, it can be very hard for Captain Falcon to get in on Fox."

Undershooting is a must-have idea against Captain Falcon. However, many Foxes also need to understand what is potentially a fatal error in their plan against Captain Falcon. Captain Falcon capitalises incredibly hard on his stomp down-air. Specifically, many Fox players opt to force out shines while their implementing their shield pressure. The reason that this isn't ideal, is because a lot of the time, this is done without having a confirmation that the shine will hit. This is dreadful as Captain Falcon will expect this. He can then stomp out of his shield and it sets up for him to destroy your stock. Players of all skill levels do this, so stay aware and only shine if it's going to connect. Stomping out of shield is amazing for Captain Falcon at any percent so be careful.

Lucky says, "Start to acknowledge that Captain Falcon has that down-air out of shield option and learn how to beat it. Whenever I am constantly fishing for these auto pilot options from Captain Falcon, I really feel favored in the matchup."

Punish Game

The punish game against Captain Falcon is a little simpler than most matchups. Captain Falcon can't be combo'd well from a grab, so Fox has to usually opt for basic waveshines to deal some damage and flow it into another option. For instance, waveshining into up-smash or into up-tilt will be the 'bread and butter' of the matchup. Despite grab not being as handy for the punish game, waveshine grab is a great option for setting up edgeguards and tech chases, so don't count out the option of grab completely. Full hop drills are also a great way of dodging Captain Falcon's hitboxes. If placed well, this can also lead into waveshine combos. Additionally, dealing extra chip damage with up-throw back-air at medium percents will help get an extra juicy 20%. Getting in with shine and neutral-air can also help get the damage you need to put Captain Falcon at a kill percent later down the line.

Lucky says, "Keep in mind that his aerials are much worse if you aren't moving in to them, abuse your disjointed hit boxes by doing your own back-airs in place or retreating back-airs after you can get him to chase you."

As mighty as Fox's moves may be, Captain Falcon has very powerful moves. Captain Falcon's punish game on Fox is much easier than Fox's punish against Captain Falcon. His punish game can consist of tech chasing which can be caused from any knock down, including a grab. Not getting caught in a stomp knee is crucial and getting a grab is something Captain Falcon will look for. Beware of fade back aerials that will cause you to get put into these situations. Fade back stomp is deadly and will catch out an overly aggressive Fox; your stock will be gone before you know it. As a Fox, you have to work harder on your punish as it's not as easy but keep an eye on which percents will kill Captain Falcon off the top of each stage. You'll then have an idea of when it's a great time to up-smash or even back-air.

Lucky says, "He will also have a harder time grabbing you if you aren't moving forward with your own aerials for him to try and whiff punish you. Plus, the more you undershoot, the more unprepared the Falcon will be when you do finally decide to overshoot an aerial."

Edgeguard and Recovery

When edgeguarding Captain Falcon, keep in mind they like to be tricky with how they reach the ledge. Luckily for us, Captain Falcon's recovery isn't the best, but he still has some ideas when returning to stage. Captain Falcon players like to drift back to the ledge or make it seem as though they're landing on the edge of the stage and drift back to avoid being caught by a back-air, and fast fall to the ledge. This is why Fox must constantly threaten the ledge. This forces Captain Falcon to think twice about drifting to the ledge. Also, it's worth being aware that, when Captain Falcon recovers high, they expect a back-air to cover this. Cleverer Captain Falcon's will time an airdodge to make sure you miss your back-air and then fastfall to the stage or the ledge.

Lucky says, "Once he is high enough in the air, you can usually move away from the ledge and shark his landing, but you need to always be aware of the drift."

Recovering against Captain Falcon requires a little thought before hitting your Firefox buttons. If you start your Firefox too soon, Captain Falcon can take advantage of this and use his fantastic mobility and react to your Firefox with ease. Placement of your Firefox is crucial. Alternatively, you can, if possible, try to recover to the ledge when you're closer to the stage. Captain Falcon struggles with edgeguarding Fox if he starts his Firefox close to the stage, as Fox can tech his stomp and recover by different means.

Lucky says, "If you aren't positive that you can secure a hit because of his drift, then sometimes it is better to just let him land and get a free punish with his landing lag. This isn't ideal by any means, but it's much better than trying to force a hit that will end up missing, allowing Captain Falcon back on stage for free."

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