For any new Smash player, learning to recover after being forced offstage can be the first step in the transition from mindlessly button mashing to really playing. Of course, these players ought to learn that recovering can involve much more than simply holding up and pressing B at the same time. In this series of articles, I will go over the basics of recovering from offstage effectively for each character in the game. This article will focus specifically on the high tier characters.

As naturally good characters, many high tiers have the luxury of possessing good recovery moves. While this typically manifests itself in the form of having a solid Up-B, many of these characters also have alternative options for getting back to the stage. For this reason, many top tiers have simple base recoveries, along with more complex options which allow them to mix-up how they recover. Going forward, we will take a look at each of these top tier characters and how they tend to make their way back to the stage.

Fox:

As the (generally) undisputed best in the game, it’s no surprise that Fox has an impeccable recovery. His Up-B, Fire Fox, covers a respectable distance and can be angled in any direction. For this reason, Fox can use his Up-B to get to the ledge even if he initiates the attack above the ledge. Because of the plethora of unique Fire Fox angles, Fox’s recovery is versatile with his Up-B alone, allowing him to mix-up going straight to the ledge with performing a Mangle or landing onstage. If Fox Up-Bs into the floor of a stage and lands while his Up-B is still active, he will bounce off of the ground and land a short distance away. In addition, the startup frames of Fire Fox deal damage, which can make it more difficult for opponents to intercept Fox’s recovery.

Fox’s Side-B, Fox Illusion, grants him greater horizontal distance than a horizontally angled Up-B. In addition, he has the ability to shorten his Side-B, allowing him to mix-up between one of five different Side-B lengths while recovering. Fox players will often use a shortened Fox Illusion to fall safely to the ledge, potentially tricking their opponent into thinking they were going to land on the stage. Conversely, if he is positioned properly, Fox can Side-B to a nearby platform and edge cancel his Illusion, allowing him to get back into the action and turn his disadvantage state around quickly. Fox must keep in mind that using a Side-B will put him into his helpless state just as an Up-B will, so he only has the option to use one or the other while offstage.

As a fast faller, Fox will have to execute his recovery move quickly upon being sent offstage. That being said, he is able to delay his aerial momentum by using his Down-B in the air, a tactic known as “shine stalling.” Fox can shine stall in order to bait a missed edgeguard out of his opponent, or simply to better position himself for his recovery. In addition, he has the ability to wall jump, which aids his recovery on stages like Yoshi’s Story and Fountain of Dreams.

Falco:

While Falco’s recovery moves are similar to those of Fox, his recovery options are overall worse and he tends to have a slightly different strategy for recovering as a result. Falco has the highest jump in the game, allowing his double jump to be of slightly more use while recovering than Fox’s. However, his Up-B, Fire Bird, is a good deal worse than Fox’s. Not only does it cover less distance, but it lacks hitboxes on its startup frames, leaving Falco more susceptible to having his recovery interrupted.

Because of the failures of his Up-B, Falco typically relies on his Side-B, Falco Phantasm, to recover. Like Fox, Falco has the option to shorten his Side-B, though his only has four possible lengths. While Falco’s Side-B is shorter than Fox’s, it has less startup lag, and possess a meteor smash hitbox which can potentially counter-edgeguard overly ambitious opponents.

Falco has the fastest falling speed in the game, which can be a detriment to his recovery. However, he, like Fox, can somewhat alleviate this problem by shine stalling. He also possesses the ability to wall jump, which he will often use on appropriate stages to position himself for an easy Side-B to the ledge.

Marth:

Marth’s Up-B, Dolphin Slash, provides him with solid vertical distance, while also providing a hitbox to protect him as he recovers. Opponents waiting for Marth at the edge may be hit and sent away by the hitbox of Marth’s Up-B if they are not prepared for it, allowing Marth to make it safely to the edge. Despite these benefits, Marth’s Up-B provides very little horizontal distance. Even though it can be slightly angled to the side, it is still unhelpful if Marth is particularly far away from the stage.

This issue with Marth’s Dolphin Slash is somewhat covered by his Side-B, Dancing Blade. By using the first hit in the air, Marth can slightly delay his falling speed, while also gaining a slight horizontal boost. While not particularly noticeable after one use, Marth can use this as many times as necessary while recovering, allowing him to inch close enough to the stage to successfully recover with an Up-B.

Sheik:

In most scenarios, Sheik’s only recovery option is her Up-B, Vanish. Sheik’s Up-B does not cover a particularly large distance, though it can be angled in any direction. While Sheik does have the option to mix-up where she lands with her Vanish, whether it be on the ledge, on the stage, or at a platform where she can edge cancel, she lacks other recovery specials to mix into her recovery. Even so, the invincibility frames at the start of her Up-B make it to where, though she can be ledgehogged, it is hard to interrupt Sheik out of her Up-B. The move’s initial explosion hitbox further punishes opponents for trying to challenge Sheik as she recovers. Furthermore, Sheik possesses the ability to wall jump, buffing her recovery on Yoshi’s Story and Fountain of Dreams.

If Sheik is launched high in the air and far away from the stage, she may benefit from briefly Transforming into Zelda. Because the Transform animation is particularly fast in this game, Sheik may have time to Transform, take advantage of Zelda’s low falling speed to drift closer to the stage, and then change back to Sheik in order to Up-B to the ledge. If she does not have time to do this, she can simply switch to Zelda and Up-B, as Zelda’s Up-B covers a much greater distance than Sheik’s. However, since she will then have to fight as Zelda until an opportunity to Transform back presents itself, this should only be viewed as a last resort recovery option.

Puff:

By nature of having five mid-air jumps and the best aerial mobility in the game, Jigglypuff is not a character who is often worried about getting edgeguarded. Even so, Puff mains need to know the limits of their character so they can know how hard to press their advantage once they get their opponents offstage or how much they can afford to stall offstage while waiting to recover.

Without even considering her special moves, Jigglypuff’s horizontal recovery is the best in the game with her jumps alone, often allowing her to carry her opponents directly into the blast zone and then return to the stage safely. While Rollout can theoretically increase her horizontal recovery even further, Puff’s recovery is typically fine without it and using it could very easily result in an unnecessary SD. Pound, however, is a bit more useful in this regard, as it stalls Jigglypuff’s falling speed, allowing her to drift slightly towards the stage without burning one of her jumps.

Puff’s vertical recovery, though still adequate, is less noteworthy than her horizontal recovery, as her mid-air jumps do not provide very much vertical distance. Even so, she can extend her vertical recovery by pressing up after executing a Side-B, performing a Rising Pound. This technique allows Puff to gain a slight vertical boost with each use. This, in conjunction with her large number of jumps, can allow Puff to return to the stage even if she has dipped incredibly low for an edgeguard. Jigglypuff players will typically use an air dodge to make their final return to the stage after using all of Puff’s jumps, though Puff can also use her Up-B, Sing, to gain a slight vertical boost and snap to the ledge.

Peach:

With a plethora of recovery options, Peach’s recovery is among the most diverse and exceptional in the game. In addition to acting as her main vertical recovery move, Peach’s Up-B, Peach Parasol, can be deactivated and reactivated as many times as Peach pleases in one use. This allows Peach to mix-up her timing and potentially slip past her opponent, avoiding her opponent’s edgeguard by making her aerial drift and ultimate landing hard to predict. Peach can also cover a huge horizontal distance without using any moves due to her ability to float; this gives Peach the ability to stall in the air and further mix-up her exact recovery sequence.

Peach can use her Neutral-B, Toad, to stall briefly in the air if she deems it necessary, although this is generally inferior to her natural float ability. If Peach happens to have a Bob-omb in her hand, the explosion can launch her a good distance and potentially aid in her recovery, although this is only pertinent in specific circumstances and probably inferior to a more typical recovery sequence.

Her Side-B, Peach Bomber, not only provides noticeable horizontal distance, but also allows Peach to climb up walls, as each time she hits a wall (or any object for that matter) with her Side-B, she gets a slight boost upward. Therefore, if she dips far below a stage like Yoshi’s or FoD, she can use her Peach Bomber to work her way up the side of the stage until she can safely Up-B to the ledge.

Ice Climbers:

As with just about every aspect of the Ice Climbers’ play, the ICs’ recovery is substantially stronger when Nana is present. If the two dip below the stage, their Up-B, Belay, is a reliable tool for getting back to the stage (although the fact that the two are separated upon using this move means that one of them may be left vulnerable when it is used).

For horizontal recovery, their Side-B, Squall Hammer covers a decent distance, and it will even provide some vertical distance if the B button is mashed during use. However, the Ice Climbers will typically try to land on the stage with this move, potentially leaving them vulnerable if their opponent crouch cancels the hit and retaliates. Their Neutral-B, Ice Shot, also provides a slight jump if used right after a regular jump, although this is generally insignificant.

While the duo has an acceptable recovery when both Climbers are present, they also tend to leave themselves open for a punish upon using their recovery moves. This may give the opponent an opportunity to get rid of Nana, which creates further problems, as Sopo has among the worst recoveries in the game. His Up-B provides a negligible vertical boost, and is really only useful for snapping to the ledge. His primary option becomes Side-B, which provides less height and fewer hitboxes than when Nana is still alive. Because of the weaknesses of Sopo’s two primary recovery moves, Sopo is one of the few characters in the game who frequently has to rely on air dodging as a recovery option.

Captain Falcon:

Among the high tiers, Captain Falcon is perhaps the easiest to gimp due to his fast falling speed and rather linear recovery. His Up-B, Falcon Dive, has a small window for sweetspotting the ledge and it is rather easy for the opponent to hit Falcon away or ledgehog him once its hitbox has expired. That being said, if Falcon hits an overambitious opponent with his Falcon Dive, they will be knocked away (potentially stage spiked if they are below the ledge) and Falcon will regain his jump and another Up-B.

Captain Falcon can also regain his mid-air jump by using an aerial Down-B. Using a Falcon Kick in this manner will also provide Falcon with some horizontal distance. However, it can be risky since this strategy will often force Falcon to Up-B from below the ledge, where he will be easier to gimp. As a result, Falcon mains typically prefer to Up-B high, and then mix-up between landing somewhere on the stage and fading to the ledge. Falcon also gains a horizontal boost from his Side-B, Raptor Boost, but this move is unreliable since it cannot sweetspot the ledge and it will leave Falcon in a helpless state.

Many of the top tiers claim their place on the tier list thanks in part to their good recoveries. With multiple solid recovery options at their disposal, players can begin to mix-up their recovery sequences, making it increasingly harder for their opponents to successfully edgeguard them.

Of course, with certain other characters, subtler mix-ups within an otherwise linear recovery sequence‒mixing up how far they drift and where exactly they land‒may be necessary in order to avoid getting edgeguarded due to a lack of useful recovery moves. This trend is particularly applicable to Captain Falcon; we will see more of it as we address mid tier recoveries in the next article.

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