An Introduction to Fox

In the game of Super Smash Bros., Fox is considered a very strong character by every competitive player. Fox can do it all. He has great ground movement, great moves, great combos, and great kill power. One other thing he has is what I believe is Fox’s strongest tool, and that is his full hop. The goal of this article will be to go over what all Fox’s full hop can do and how to use it. Most Fox players know some basic uses of Fox’s full hop, but this tool is so much more versatile than people realize. Using this tool, you can really do it all. The uses are all different based on matchups and positions, but there’s not one matchup for Fox where his full hop can’t be useful.

Now, let’s look at the breakdown of how this article will look. I will be going over each of the broad uses of Fox’s full hop. On the most basic level, this article will be broken up into defensive uses and offensive uses of Fox’s full hop. For the offensive uses, this article will be broken up into attacking and stage control. For the defensive uses, we will be looking at Fox’s full hop as a zoning tool. Then finally, as a bonus, we will be looking at a way to use Fox’s full hop that doubles as offense and defense.

We’re almost ready to move on, but before that there’s an important piece of information to keep in mind. Although Fox’s full hop is a powerful tool, there is no way to use it that will beat everything. It’s important to keep in mind what all the different ways of using it will beat and what Fox’s full hop can’t do. With that all in mind, though, let’s start jumping.

Offensive Uses

Attacking with Fox’s Full Hop

What is very often the most common use of Fox’s full hop is approaching with it. Using Fox’s full hop this way can allow you to attack into your opponent in ways that other characters really can’t. This unique way of opening characters up can lead to your opponent being forced to add more committal options just to beat this approach option. There are three main ways that approaching with Fox’s full hop can be done. First, you can use it to attack a grounded opponent. Second, you can use it to attack higher-up aerial opponents. Finally, you can use it to poke in and then quickly escape.

First, let’s look at using Fox’s full hop to attack into grounded opponents. Very often when people are trying to zone Fox out, they’re trying to cover his grounded or short hop approaches, so by approaching with full hop you get around those common zoning tools to get a direct opening. When getting in this way, Fox has the ability to get openings regardless of the opponent’s percent. By using Fox’s down-aerial or neutral at the appropriate times and positions, Fox can get his offensive game started on any character that is trying to cover Fox’s ground game regardless of percent. A matchup where using Fox’s full hop this way is crucial is the Falco matchup. Falco’s short hop lasers allow him to stuff any of Fox’s grounded or short hop approaches and will put him at frame advantage if Fox tries to take stage in any way. Because of this, it’s often important to use full hop approaches to get in on Falco so that you can get your low percent combos with down-aerial or even your kill combos using neutral-aerial into up-smash at higher percents.

Next let's look at how to use Fox’s full hop to attack characters that are playing higher up. Contesting those aerial spaces this way is vital for two main reasons. The first is that many times, characters will play on the side platforms and the second is that many characters will often use their own full hops to be defensive and try to continually be in the air. It is important to be able to contest both of these positions so that your opponent can’t merely abuse one position against you and win. One matchup that using full hop this way is very important in for Fox is the Peach matchup. Much of Peach’s game plan revolves around her float and more often around her full hop float to set up zoning with her forward-aerial. By using Fox’s full hop neutral-aerial to catch Peach as she jumps, you can slowly rack up damage while preventing her from setting up.

Now, the third way to use Fox’s full hop as an approach option is as a tool to poke and then quickly escape. Specifically, we’re going to be looking at Fox’s approaching full hop shine. The reward for hitting this approach directly isn’t super great, but it can be super safe, can get you a knockdown on many characters, and can often bait attacks out of shield from your opponent that you can punish. In addition, against some characters, this approach is very hard to contest even trying to zone Fox out. A character that very much struggles to deal with Fox’s approaching full hop shine is Ice Climbers. The Ice Climbers very much struggle to cover above and in front of them, so by using an approaching full hop shine aimed at their face, you can get quick separations if you get the hit and can easily jump away if you hit their shield to avoid getting punished.

Stage Control

If you read my article on positioning, then you know that controlling center stage is super powerful in Melee. Using full hop can allow Fox to easily keep his opponent in the corner.

Before we move on, it’s important to note that you do not want to drift in when controlling stage with Fox’s full hop. Your goal is to maintain stage position, not to attack.

There are three mains ways that Fox can use his full hop to control the stage. The first is to use it cover direct approaches closer to the ground, the second is to cover higher up aerial approaches, and the third is to use it to set up a situation where you beat your opponent attempting to take stage. The first way to use Fox’s full hop to control stage is to control stage in a way that intercepts grounded or short hop approaches. At low percents, you can use down-aerial to beat approaches and get quick damage, and at high percents, you can use either back-aerial to keep your opponent cornered or knock him off stage, or you can use neutral-air to try to convert into an up-smash. One character that using this tool is especially useful against is Captain Falcon. Fox’s full hop back-aerial can easily stuff out Captain Falcon’s moves and is very hard for him to punish if he shields due to his relatively short grab.

The second way to use Fox’s full hop to control the stage is to control stage in a way that covers characters trying to full hop out of the corner or just going to the platform. By using a rising full hop back-aerial, Fox can keep his opponent from jumping. The direct reward isn’t often super great when using full hop back-aerial this way, but the indirect reward of getting your opponent to play more grounded can allow you to set up situations where you get more meaningful openings on the ground. In addition, at higher percents, the back-aerial can lead to an edgeguard. One character that using this back-aerial against is super important against is Sheik. Sheik will often go to the platform due to it being a very strong position for her thanks to her shield drop options and platform movement. An in-place full hop rising back-aerial can allow you to catch Sheik if she jumps to a platform and can allow you to stay safe from Sheik trying to counter hit by using shield drop aerials.

The third way to use Fox’s full hop to control the stage is to use a full hop empty land in order to set up a situation where you bait your opponent trying to take stage out of the corner. Very often, if you attempt to zone your opponent out with Fox’s full hop aerials, they will try to take stage with something like running shield or running crouch in order to get a counter hit or slowly take space. By using a full hop empty land into grab, you can bait your opponent into trying to shield or crouch into you on the ground and then get a direct opening with grab. A character who using this tool against is very strong is, again, Sheik. Sheik will often try to move in and out of shield to take stage and potentially get shield grabs or neutral-aerials out of shield. Because of this, it’s essential to be able to set up situations where you can grab Sheik directly to prevent her from abusing shield against you when you’re trying to control stage.

Defensive Uses

Zoning with Fox’s Full Hop

As a zoning tool, Fox’s full hop is one of the strongest in the game. He can easily avoid tools that would beat zoning from most other characters. Many of the tools that directly beat zoning from most other characters rely on hitboxes that out-space the opponent’s zoning tool, Fox’s full hop is a different animal to contest though. The height he gains from his full hop coupled with his quick fall speed allows him to get around nearly every short hop and grounded approach and then land with an aerial to punish.

When zoning with Fox’s full hop, you’re playing a mix up between two different types of aerials. You either want to do a full hop aerial or a double jump aerial.

Now, let’s start off with Fox’s full hop aerials as a means of zoning. If you watch top Fox players, you’ll often see them use undershoot short hop neutral-aerials and down-aerials. Those short hop aerials definitely have their place, but unfortunately, they can lose directly to certain hitboxes, one example being Fox’s up-smash. As I explained before by using full hop to zone, you can easily get around those moves like Fox’s up-smash and get an opening with a neutral-aerial, down-aerial, or back-aerial. One character that this full hop zoning is especially good against is Luigi. Luigi being very reliant on wavedashing forward to approach allows him to easily get zoned out. One way Luigi does have to beat Fox’s short hop zoning is up-smash, which can often beat Fox’s short hop aerials or lead to a favorable trade. By using Fox’s full hop to zone, you can stuff out wavedash approaches from Luigi without being at risk of getting hit by one of Luigi’s strongest launchers.

Next, we have Fox’s double jump aerials for zoning. Often to beat Fox’s full hop, characters will use dash dancing or some sort of movement to set up a whiff punish. Double jumping is a great way to get around this. By using the initial full hop as a means of baiting a whiff punish attempt and then using a delayed double jump you can avoid your opponent’s attack and punish as you would with a typical full hop for zoning. One character that these double jump aerials are really good against is Captain Falcon. Against Fox, Captain Falcon struggles very much to initiate offensively, which leads to him heavily relying on whiff punishing to get his openings. Because of this you can very often use a full hop to a delayed double aerial and stuff out Captain Falcon’s whiff punish attempts.

A Tool That Can Do It All

By this point, you’ve realized that Fox’s full hop can be used for both offensive and defensive tools, and those tools are potent too. Those tools I discussed earlier were described as either defensive or offensive, but what if there was a way to do both. The tool I’m referring to is Fox’s approaching full hop empty land. At this point, you might be thinking that this makes no sense. How in the world does jumping forward and not using a move accomplish anything defensively and especially anything offensively? Well, it can achieve a couple of different goals based on how things play out. First, it can avoid an attack and set up for a whiff punish, and second, it can allow you to take stage from your opponent.

First, let’s go over the defensive application of this approaching full hop empty land. Using this technique can allow you to dodge certain moves and potentially set up a whiff punish. By using this technique, you can avoid short hop and grounded approaches much like you would with a dash back. Although you’re not able to follow up quite as fast, there are two huge benefits that come with this technique. The first benefit is that you can avoid overshoot attacks with this technique and the second is that you don’t have to give up any ground space unlike with dash back. As a defensive tool, this approaching full hop empty land can be especially useful against a character like Sheik. Sheik will often commit relatively hard with a dash attack or boost grab. By using the approaching full hop empty land, you can avoid the normal and overshoot versions of these moves and then whiff punish due to your frame advantage.

Next, we have the offensive application of the approaching full hop empty land. Many times, to beat approaching full hop aerials from Fox people will use defensive movement. By utilizing an approaching full hop empty land, you can take stage against your opponent moving backward. In addition, you can bait out whiff punish attempts and then punish them yourself. One character that this approaching full hop empty land can be very good against as an offensive tool is Captain Falcon. As I mentioned earlier, Captain Falcon heavily relies on his defensive movement to get openings against Fox. By using the approaching full hop empty land, you can potentially corner Captain Falcon when he moves away to try to set up a whiff punish.

A Conclusion to Fox’s Full Hop

As you’ve seen above, Fox’s full hop can do it all. It’s offense and defense. It can lead to big openings, and it’s pretty safe. This all being said, no option is perfect. All of these full hop options have their individual weaknesses and some common weaknesses throughout them. Keep using all your tools, and with this all in mind, it’s time to hit the skies.

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