Perhaps the most important factor which has kept Melee players coming back in spite of the release of newer Smash titles over the years is the game’s fluid and intricate movement style. Wavedashing, one of Melee’s most frequently employed movement techniques, has come to symbolize for many the freedom of movement which makes Melee so great. As a result, Smash players were quite excited to see the return of directional air dodging in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and with it the potential return of wavedashing.

Of course, wavedashing as it exists in Ultimate is very different from the wavedashing Melee players are familiar with. In fact, though it is generally referred to with the same name as it requires the same inputs to perform, wavedashing in Ultimate is almost entirely different in function and utility to its Melee counterpart. In this article, I will break down the characteristics of this new take on wavedashing and explain some of its potential uses in competitive Smash Ultimate.

No Melee-like Movement:

Though wavedashing is useful primarily as a movement tool in Melee, it is completely unhelpful in this regard in Ultimate. This is because, unlike in Melee, air dodging into the ground results in ten frames of landing lag. For this reason, continuously wavedashing across the stage is rather slow, to the point where no character can actually move more quickly by wavedashing as opposed to simply dashing. In addition, characters cannot perform any actions during the wavedash, and must instead wait until its completion before they can act again. As a result, dash dancing and foxtrotting are far superior as movement options for approaching and playing in the neutral overall. Even so, wavedashing does have a bit of utility in the neutral.

Wavedashing in the Neutral:

In Smash Ultimate, wavedashing may see most of its use in the neutral as a defensive option. Wavedashing can act as an alternative to rolling, as players can react to an incoming attack, wavedash forwards or backwards to avoid it, and potentially be in a good position to whiff punish their opponent. In general, wavedashing may be useful for positioning in the neutral, as players can use it to stop themselves in a specific spot without having to try and cancel their dash. For instance, players could try to catch their opponent’s landing by wavedashing to the spot where they expect the opponent to land and throwing out an attack, potentially placing their attack more precisely than they would have if they tried to perform the attack out of a dash.

Also, wavedashing may see uses in the neutral as the only method for performing cross-ups on the ground. This is a result of the (somewhat controversial) removal of the ability of characters to run through each other. However, it is important to note that a short wavedash can cause the player to remain in front of their opponent rather than going through them. As a result, performing a successful cross-up simply can involve air dodging through the opponent more so than actually wavedashing.

Wavelanding:

So far, the most significant application of wavedashing in this game seems to be wavelanding. After taking a hit, players are able to snap to the ground by air dodging down, and they can even tech out of their waveland. Wavelands onto platforms in Ultimate cause characters to slide a bit more than do grounded wavedashes, although they still involve ten frames of endlag before the character can act out of them. Platform wavelanding has notable defensive and offensive applications when it comes to Smash Ultimate’s aerial game.

When a player is forced into the air, a waveland may help them to avoid being juggled, allowing them to land and get away more quickly than if they were to simply air dodge further into the air. Conversely, while a player is juggling their opponent, they may use wavelands to follow their opponent’s aerial drift and catch them with an attack on a platform. Despite its endlag, wavelanding is still one of the best aerial movement options in the game, allowing players to make their approaches from the air ambiguous and to make it harder for their opponents to catch them.

Ledgedashing:

Ledgedashing (sort of) makes a return in Smash Ultimate, all though its uses are admittedly unclear at this time. In terms of options for getting off the ledge, a perfect ledgedash allows the player to act more quickly than a roll from the ledge, but more slowly than a regular get-up from the ledge. As a result, it can act as a mix-up for getting off the ledge. However, it is uncertain if ledgedashing can be a superior get-off-the-ledge option on its own. While ledgedashing is fairly easy to do in this game, it leaves players without as many invincibility frames as other ledge options. In addition, the “best” ledgedash (the one which takes the least number of frames to complete) will not cause the player to go through their opponent unless the opponent is unreasonably close to the ledge, so a roll may be better for getting past an opponent. So in general, ledgedashing, though possible, lacks obvious utility at this point in the metagame.

Despite its differences from the core movement technique from Melee, wavedashing may still have significant uses in competitive Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This early on, it is hard to tell exactly how useful the tactic will be. Players may find new uses for the technique, and we may see it increase in prevalence at all levels of play. Conversely, players could choose to stick to dash dancing and other more obviously beneficial movement techniques. In any case, it is good for players to understand and experiment with wavedashing in Ultimate so that they can begin to push the game to its competitive limits.

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