The 'Shroom:Issue LIX/Brawl Tactics

Brawl Tactics by

What's up, Brawlers? This month, for a Valentine's day special, I will be covering the still-single Captain Falcon!

Captain Douglas Falcon is the second fastest character in the game (It wouldn't really make sense for Sonic to lose, now would it?), and he has above- average strength. The downside to this strength is that his attacks take a while to charge up fully, giving opponents the chance to slip away quietly. He has a good jump, and his Final Smash is one you'd better watch out for.

Captain Falcon's Standard Special Move is his signature Falcon Punch, or, as he likes to call it, FALCON... PAWNCH! The first thing you should know about this attack is that it takes a LONG time to charge up. Don't believe me? Try it yourself. By the time he swings, the opponent has already moved halfway off the stage. I would recommend this move for when your opponent has slowed down or is completely motionless, because this move is POWERFUL. It's got a lot of launch power, so you can send your opponent flying after you slam them with a lot of damage. This move works in the air, too, while Captain Falcon is falling or at the top of his jump. It can be pretty handy mid-air.

Captain Falcon's Side Special is the Raptor Boost. This is a super-fast punch that doesn't take as much time as the Falcon Punch to charge. With this punch, it's pretty much touch and go anywhere- except on the edge of a stage. Don't drop him! Captain Falcon will not be able to recover if he falls off the edge of the stage. If you can, set this move up for a combo with his Falcon Dive. If you master your combos, Captain Falcon can dominate your opponents by leaving them no time to attack.

Captain Falcon's Up Special is the Falcon Dive. This is a good move to use for recovery, since Captain Falcon has a very high jump. But when you are using it in battle, keep up your combos! This is a good move to use when you need a bit of extra launch boost in your attack. Aim high, and Captain Falcon can give your opponents a real ride up, burning them o the way before sending them off.

Captain Falcon's Down Special is the Falcon Kick! This kick drives your opponents into the ground and hits them with a lot of damage. Captain Falcon will move quite a bit, though, so don't let him fall anywhere. This is a pretty quick move to use, so if you can use it in succession and couple it with a few different moves, like one of Captain Falcon's speedy regular attacks, which can be used repeatedly, provided you hold down the A Button to hold out the move as long as possible.

Captain Falcon's Final Smash is the Blue Falcon! Yes, that's right, his trusty racer makes its appearance, and what an appearance it is! This Final Smash can do a lot of damage, providing you hit it just right. You can launch your opponent quite far and fast after doing a lot of damage, but you have to aim carefully. Like other Brawlers that have a very short Final Smash range, *cough*Link and Meta Knight*cough cough* Captain Falcon has to have his opponents close so he can hit them. If the Blue Falcon misses, well, you just wasted a Smash Ball. If you get them, however, you are set for a KO!

Hope this opens you up to Captain Falcon's charms! That's all for me this month, Brawlers! Give Captain Falcon some Valentine's Day love and show him your moves! See you next month!