Super Smash Bros. Melee has an incredibly unbalanced roster at the highest levels of play. For the most part, in any major tournament, the top eight will consist of a smattering of Star Fox characters and a Jigglypuff, courtesy of Hungrybox. So how, then, is pro player like aMSa taking sets off the most skilled players in the world using Yoshi? We break it down for you in the below video.
aMSa sets his Yoshi apart by taking full advantage of the unique abilities that the character has. He is often a matchup nightmare in the right scenario. Here’s why:
#1: An armored double jump
Unlike every single other character in the game, Yoshi’s double jump does not suffer knockback. This means that aMSa has an advantage, both in recovery and in neutral. Amsa specifically uses the double jump to eat an opponent’s attack. Then, he retaliates with a stronger counter-attack. So, despite the fact that aMSa is taking damage, he’s able to control the pace of the match by not giving up stage control. In fact, he often causes his opponent to lose stage control through midair counters. The fact that Yoshi’s aerial attacks are pretty darn strong is just icing on the cake.
#2: Edge-guarding
It’s pretty well-known that as a tradeoff for a powerful double-jump, Yoshi’s up-B attack isn’t a great recovery move. However, aMSa has found another great use for it. Yoshi’s egg throw up-B is an incredibly dangerous edge-guarding move. The way it works is that aMSa slides off-stage while using the egg-throw, throwing out a hitbox while at the same time grabbing the stage’s ledge. This, in effect, means that aMSa knows exactly where his opponent will go as they recover; since their options are so limited. Most of the time, this means that an opponent will recover very high. This makes them incredibly vulnerable to attack as they pick their spot to land.
#3: That egg shield
Yoshi’s shield is another quality that makes the character stand out from the cast, and it’s not just because it looks like an egg. Yoshi’s shield, first of all, covers the entire character. It doesn’t get smaller as it takes damage or is held out. It can also, on a light shield, cause Yoshi to take a bit of knockback, which manifests itself by making Yoshi slide across the stage a bit. This might seem like a bad thing, but it can often knock aMSa out of a tight spot. Now, granted, Yoshi can’t jump out of shield like other characters can. But, aMSa has mastered the ability to convert after he’s been knocked back. This essentially resets the game to a neutral state. All in all, Yoshi’s shield mechanics make it incredibly hard to put any kind of consistent pressure on the character.
