Snake
Introduction:
Snake is a heavyweight fastfaller, giving him some of the best survivability in the game. He's a trapping/zoning character who makes trades and outlasts his opponent. His main tool is setting up Grenades, so playing against them requires pressuring him to prevent him from setting them up/punish him for doing so.
Strengths:
1. Pace Control
Snake is insanely good at controlling the pace of the match. His ability to control space forces you to play his game, making you deal with constant Grenades, avoid C4, play around Nikita, and dealing with his high recovery make you play the matchup much differently than others, always forcing an approach. Being able to counteract this is based on how comfortable you are with moving your character 100% confidently. Paying attention to the shifting locations of Grenades, C4's static location, Nikita's range of threat (including being able to descend quickly by putting side-b away), and Snake himself requires you to be very comfortable in moving your character to make up for the constant shifting of attention and allows you to approach/pressure Snake, putting the control of the match into your hands.
2. Oppressive Defense in Neutral
Snake's defense in neutral boils down to being able to control space so effectively. As stated, Snake's Grenades, C4, Nikita, and Snake himself require constant attention to deal with correctly, and also knowing their options. Grenade locations are always changing, so knowing where they are/each time he drops one is key to dealing with them. Grenades have a decent explosive range and last 2.5 seconds, which can be manipulated by cooking the grenades, which is to say that Snake holds the grenades, lets it waste time a bit, and then dropping them, adding a layer of unpredictability. They're also able to combo break, so be careful. This matchup is not played very well if you overcommit, Snake punishes that. Try getting some good hits in and focus on putting him offstage or above you rather than extending the combo and putting yourself in an unsafe position to where he can reverse it. You can pick up the grenade normally, but you can also catch it mid-air with Z or an airdodge. Aerials also work, but you have to be close enough not to actually hit the item, but press A with the aerial once its on top of you. Hitting Snake while he has an explosion ends any potential followup, especially if he drops it using shield and blocks your attack. If he's holding and/or cooking a grenade, throw him quickly instead of attacking, or fake him out and avoid him entirely. If he's left a grenade on the ground, quickly grab it and toss it at him to force a shield or airdodge and then punish. You can also utilize your own projectiles to pop grenades, such as with Pikachu Thunder Jolt. To prevent grenades in the first place, keep up pressure. Play the midrange spacing and take center stage. Note that he only can have 2 grenades out, so if he's placed both of them in succession, there's 2.5 seconds of time you can find an opening and approach, as long as he isn't near them, and if he is, he'll shield or eat grenade damage, or he can even grab them and throw them at you, so be prepared to shield if he does so. However, playing center stage can be risky due to C4. If he places C4 at center stage, you can bait out a detonation by parrying, or if your character is fast enough, predict that he'll detonate, and then punish him. Usually they'll jump, so using your character's u-air can set up combos, including juggles and u-air dragdowns such as with Fox u-air combos and Sheik and Joker u-air dragdowns. These characters are also good for baiting out C4, as Fox and Sheik are incredibly fast, while Joker can counter and rack up his Rebel gauge. Knowing when and where he placed C4 boils down to knowing the animations and seeing the blinking red dot whenever it's placed. He'll also place one down usually whenever he's above you from recovering, so watch out for it when he's landing. Pay attention to where he placed C4/when you see the red dot and avoid it, or bait it quickly with movement, a counter, parrying, or even shielding it if you want to force him to replant one. He does not often use Nikita in neutral, mainly in advantage, but if he does, he'll chase you with it, or play less committal and use it to control space. A fast and small character like Fox and Pichu are able to force it high and then land quickly and run to Snake to punish him. When doing this, still remember that there are most likely grenades, so don't lose focus. Bigger/slower characters should focus on avoiding getting hit via shielding or hitting Nikita with a projectile, or even maneuvering around it, since it's not that fast, just harder if you're not a fast character. Note that it can quickly descend by dropping Nikita, and if it does, you most likely will not be able to punish, as he puts away Nikita to drop the missile. If he controls space with it, just wait for it to run out and then punish once it dies out and starts descending, use platforms to out maneuver it, use projectiles against Snake or Nikita, or directional airdodge past it to bait him into pushing Nikita into you, and then punish. Snake himself can u-tilt as a strong anti-air/kill move, d-air to get out of shield, and dash attack for it's long movement and range. Fake approaches and apply pressure but quickly evade the ranges of u-tilt and d-air. They both have enough recovery frames for you to punish. Dash attack however is able to catch you out while applying pressure with minimal recovery frames. If you expect it however, shielding it can allow a free punish.
3. Unorthodox Recovery
Snake is probably the only character who recovers high. Using his up-b Cypher, grenades, C4, and b-air and d-air for hitboxes. Cypher allows him to get high in the first place, giving him some breathing room and time to plan out a strategy in order to land. Grenades are the key to landing with Snake. By b-reversing his grenade, he's able to shift his momentum to the opposite direction he's moving towards, so if he's been avoiding you with that, try hitting the other direction than he's going once you get near him. He can also mix this up further with an air-dodge, so it's all about patterns. Grenades also can prevent juggles, as it would explode both of you, allowing him to reset neutral and/or knock you off-stage. If you can hear out for him pulling the grenade pin, don't hit him. Wait for him to land, throw it, or even explode. C4 is also dangerous if he can time it right, but it's most potent if you're on a triplat stage. It might be hard, but paying attention to the C4 coming down/the red blinking dot once it lands on a platform and reacting via shield/running away is important. B-air is his main landing option with an aerial, so if he fastfalls and is close to the stage, shield or dashback vs. the b-air. D-air can also be used if he wants to stall aerial momentum. Beating Snake recovery is less about edgeguarding and more about keeping him in disadvantage above you without getting reversed via grenades and C4. If he for some reason recovers low, a quick spike will take care of him, as Cypher has no hitbox unless Snake falls out of it. Note that Snake still can recover low, especially if you intercept him offstage as he tries to go high, usually with an air-dodge towards the stage to avoid attacks. It can be unpredictable, but if you're able to catch him doing it repeatedly, it should be a quick stock.
4. Edgeguarding
Snake's edgeguarding and ledgetrapping are top tier. Nikita can chase you offstage and cover the ledge very well, either killing you or giving him time to bring out another Nikita. Offstage, mix up your airdodges to avoid Nikita, and save your jump until Nikita gets close enough. However, if you keep jumping over Nikita, the Snake can send it right up and kill you even earlier than if you didn't jump, so if you suspect he's caught onto your jumping, you can instead fastfall to quickly avoid it. Once you're closer to the edge, use your recovery move or airdodge if you still have it. You can also reflect/counter Nikita, or even attack it, which can disable it or explode it. Careful with your drift. If you drift in while hitting it, it might still explode on you, so drift back when hitting it. Characters like Lucina can f-air Nikita and quickly fastfall and go to the ledge.. However, if you're below the ledge and he pulls out Nikita, stay close to the wall and be ready to tech. If you're knocked not that far offstage, quickly getting on can prevent Nikita, whether it be a quick airdodge onstage or to the ledge. However, once you're on the ledge, things get very tricky. Giving Snake time to plant things at the ledge is very dangerous, so getting back on quickly is optimal. Unless however you've been getting on quickly the same way always, so he can quickly bait out your options such as airdodge back on stage with things like u-tilt. Going for the ledge is not always bad, but giving him time to prepare definitely is. Once you're at the ledge, use your invincibility to your advantage via rolling back onstage (watch out for C4) or jump -> directional/neutral airdodge back on. Again, if you suspect he knows you've been doing this, a simple getup can avoid his u-tilt if he does it behind him, allowing you to b-throw to reinstate advantage or even use a kill move. (in some cases, b-throw does both) You can even attack him from the ledge with getup attack or jump -> aerial. His most common trapping moves are C4, Grenades, instant Nikita (pulling out Nikita at the ledge and letting it instantly die) and u-smash. C4 is incredibly telegraphed and slow, so if you just got to the ledge and he starts to place one, immediately jump -> aerial and then get out of that area or be ready to shield. For Grenades, you can empty hop or regular getup onstage and then grab him, as he'll most likely shield to avoid grenade damage, or grab the grenades. You can then either jump over him and throw it at him and then punish, or throw it at him and run to reset neutral. You can also z drop and jump behind him, again either to run or grab after the explosion. Nikita quickly dies and will explode any grenades, as well as taking time to pull out, so rolling onto stage or jump -> airdodge -> attack can avoid it and have some time to reset neutral or punish. U-smash is fairly low lag for an u-smash, so it's all about the timing. If he spams u-smash, rolling can cause him to react with a turnaround u-tilt, while getup shielding can cause him to grab. You could jump from the ledge and try to recover high by directional airdodging through the u-smashes, or jump -> airdodge to either cross him up and land in front of him as a mixup. You could also normal airdodge through the u-smashes and attack, or even getup and spotdodge -> attack if you can time it right.
1. Approach Game
Playing a character that is able to force approaches, such as Mewtwo and Samus with their strong, chargeable projectiles, or Pikachu who can force an approach with TJolt, but also pop grenades and use the projectile as an approach tool for the mixup, can make Snake seem a lot less scary. Even being in % lead or a stock ahead can force an approach, so be patient and let him do the work for you. He can dash grab or dash attack, the latter being able to reach very far, so don't let it fool you, he can Nikita from far away so you can either shield it, use a disjointed hitbox like Lucina f-air to hit it, or if you're fast enough, you can fake a defensive playstyle and immediately rush in once Nikita is far away enough. He can also push forward by C4 zoning in order to gain center stage, so if you see him start to plant C4, attacking him is a great way to push him back out, even if he does plant it, as he most likely will not detonate it while it's close to him. Remember to play defensive, but not to lose center stage, as keeping Snake in the corner takes advantage of his 2nd weakness.
2. Disadvantage State
His disadvantaged state is probably Snake's biggest weakness. His mobility in ground speed, airspeed, and up-b speed makes it very difficult to escape when offstage and while being juggled/above. His fall speed does help, but not to the degree of Fox or Greninja, as well as having so much lag on his moves that if he whiffs one while landing or gets shielded, it's an easy punish OOS. His best bet is to bait an attack and grenade both of you, so he can reset neutral. If your followup is not true or frames away, it's best to bait a grenade and then go for a grab if he's close to the ground. B reverse grenades and directional airdodges let him shift momentum as well, so instead of commiting to a direction, empty hop and then quickly land and dart towards wherever he moved. If he grenades, he can airdodge to further shift momentum, so if you see him b-reverse grenade, remember to dart to his location, stop, and then wait for an airdodge for a punish. If he lands with the grenade and does not airdodge, let him land -> grab. While he's offstage, he'll mainly be looking to up-b from afar and then recover from high above. If your character is strong enough offstage, and you see the Cypher, you can intercept it and hit him again, either killing him or pushing him further from the stage. If your character is not that proficient offstage, you could jump out before he uses Cypher, fake an edgeguard, and then immediately recover to force him below the stage. His Cypher is very susceptible to getting spiked, so maybe get a friend to help you consistently spike at the ledge. Snake's options to avoid ledgetraps are mainly d-air, f-air, all the regular getups, and airdodge. He can also even jump away from the ledge and then Cypher up, so don't count that out as an option. D-air and f-air can easily be shielded, with f-air being incredibly reactable. Airdodge is tricky, as it grants invincibility and can be mixed up, so be patient and punish once he actually lands with your fastest moves, whether it be a quick tilt or even grab to get him back offstage.
Fox is a very fast and rushdown pressure based character, one of the best, if not the best, midrange characters in the game. He can dart back and forth and empty hop repeatedly to force an option that he can then punish due to his speed across the board. Snake's biggest weakness is his disadvantage, something Fox punish in spades, aside from offstage edgeguarding. Fox is fast on the ground and quick to return to it, giving him a potent juggling game, as well as being able to use low lag moves at the ledge to bait different options and then quickly rush to punish them.
In the neutral, Fox can pop grenades with his lasers, but cannot force approaches with lasers, as Snake can crouch under them. However, his approach game is where he really shines. His incredible speed can allow him to grab grenades as they drop, and approach Snake should he try to cook them for longer, giving Snake no breathing room. You can quickly grab one and toss em away, forcing him to pull another one, giving you time to punish, you can use it to force a shield, such as z-dropping it onto Snake and then crossing him up or spot-dodging the explosion -> attack, or avoid it completely by grabbing Snake and using the invincibility all characters get at the beginning of a throw. Fox can completely run away from C4, and Nikita can be reflected. Snake can however use Nikita to create pressure and let it drop, and then run in with dash attack, so staying in reflector gives him breathing room to prepare for approaches or even approach himself, so focus on the offensive. Punishing Nikita is using your quick speed to hop onto platforms or even over it and then running at Snake, still taking into account maybe Grenades or any C4. Punishing with dash attack can be risky, as Snake can detonate after, if the C4 is under where he was at low-mid percents, so instead go for a throw or aerial. Since Fox is one of the lightest characters in the game, trading is a very bad choice, as you can often die at 70% off of edgeguards.
Punishing Snake is very tricky. You need a guaranteed true combo, or he'll pull out a nade and break the flow. If you are aware of the nade, you could possibly combo him low to the ground, and then go for a grab to not detonate it, but Fox gets little off grabs aside from stage control, so it's ill-advised. Once you do have him in disadvantage, however, Fox can really push Snake to his limits. Note that overextending can get you offstage and offstage can get you killed, so don't play so committal. Hitting the tip of your u-air can prevent grenades from bursting, as well as grabbing him when he's lower to the ground. Edgeguarding should also be less committal. Let Snake come to you. On a stage like Town and City, you can use the platforms to edgeguard, but Fox does not do well offstage, so it's a bad idea to risk it. Instead bait Snake with empty full hops and autocancel b-airs, or even laser to rack %. When he's cornered, his best get off me options are dash attack and d-air, Dash attack has a ton of range so expect a cross-up if you're close. D-air is quick as well, but the range is lackluster and puts him at a good range for b-air to get him offstage.
The Best Fox's to Watch:
Light: By far the best Fox player, with the best results and wins. Known for his high-octane and aggressive style, he was one of the players to emerge at the end of Smash 4's lifespan, he burst onto the scene of Ultimate, taking names quickly, such as MK Leo, Tweek, Nairo, Dabuz, Marss, VoiD, ESAM, and Salem, as well as placing 1st at Ultimate Nimbus, 3rd at 2GG: Prime Saga, and 5th at Genesis 6, Let's Make Moves, and Frostbite 2019.
ZD: A strong Fox main with wins over Tweek, Zackray, Salem, Ally, and Leffen. Currently ranked 2nd in MD/VA, with placings such as multiple Smash@Xanadu 1st place finishes, 5th at Ultimate Nimbus, 7th at Let's Make Moves, and 5th at Glitch 6.
2. Pikachu
Pikachu is a quick and agile fighter with great mobility due to quick ground speed and up-b giving him high maneuverability and recovery. This speed allows him to maneuver around grenades as well as quickly outspeed Nikita to punish Snake onstage, as well as to avoid Nikita offstage with mixups. Pikachu also has a deep punish game that benefits very well from Snake's heavyweight and fall speed.
In the neutral, TJolt is a much better tool than Pichu's, as you do not take self-damage, and can therefore use it infinitely. Use these to pop grenades, force shield, force jump, or to even approach if it lands. If Snake throws a grenade at you, you can quickly punish, as the actual grenade itself has no hitstun, so keep pushing. Pikachu can play the midrange effectively, as he has decent speed, along with a quick punish tool with QA that can pop Snake up/put him in tumble, avoid grenades, and outspeed Nikita. Approaching Snake can be dangerous, as you jump so high and your range isn't that great, you can often get anti-air'd by u-tilt. If you're at mid-high percents, consider approaching with air-dodge or run up spotdodge to quickly bait it out and then punish with n-air if you airdodged as you land, or even a quick ground move like u-tilt to quickly punish, or a smash attack for the kill. Playing defensive is much better with Pikachu than Pichu, as you take no self-damage, so be patient and approach with TJolts to try and get them onto a platform or jump.
Punishing Snake is all about practicing true combos such as n-air loops, u-tilt and u-air juggles, or even u-air loops to prevent grenades, as well as QA to punish Nikita while onstage. Edgeguarding is also huge, so when he's offstage and you can predict Cypher, a back air will push him back off or even kill, and Thunder can catch him if you dip below and can space it vertically correctly. D-air is always a good option when he's below, as it'll either spike or send at a low angle sideways. Drag downs are also very good, as they're quick ways to push Snake further down, as Cypher takes a while before it can gain vertical momentum, allowing you to regain your footing and then spike. TJolt can also catch Snake if he hugs the wall while up-bing. Once he's on the ledge, TJolt can still hit, so maybe prep it if you're far away and he's below the ledge by TJolting at center stage and then begin your ledgetrapping. Turnaround f-smash can catch regular getup and getup attack, SH fadeaway u-air can catch roll and avoid getup attack, as well as quickly keeping you close to the ground, allowing for further punishes, and f-air/b-air can get ledgejumps. F-smash can also catch double jump from the ledge, but it's very rare. Pikachu's QA can help push disadvantage, as well as using quick u-airs to reset juggles, Pikachu can keep Snake above him very well.
The Best Pikachu's To Study:
ESAM: The main Pikachu player known for an aggressive yet bait and punish style with an extensive set win list over top players such as MK Leo, Tweek, Nairo, Ally, Myran, yeti, and Ned, with placements such as 1st at BoBC3, 3rd at GOML 2019, 7th at Genesis 6, 4th at Full Bloom 5, and 3rd at Dreamhack Dallas.
Captain L: A Pichu/Pikachu main. Captain L does occasionally play Pikachu, he has better success with Pichu across the board, and so will often play Pikachu and Pichu in the same set.
3. Mega Man
Mega Man's strong projectile game allows him outcamp and combat Snake's defensive style. His pellets allow him to poke at Snake's shield should Snake try to grenade -> shield an approach, as well as pushing back any grenades Snake throws at him, should the pellets hit. Pellets are also able to prevent Snake's limited movement options even further, and snuffing any aggressive/CQC play from Snake. Mega Man being heavy, a fast faller, and having a decent recovery makes trading with him not as strong compared to glass cannon characters, as well as Mega Man having a solid kill option in u-tilt should he read Snake on the ground, or b-air when edgeguarding Cypher.
Tacking on damage against Snake in the neutral is one of Mega Man's strong suits. All of his projectiles are strong at pressuring Snake's shield or dealing poke damage from a distance, such as Metal Blade and Crash Bomber (MB, CB), or snuffing/dealing with close range Snake, such as Leaf Shield's barrier and pellets. F-air and b-air are also both decent spacing tools in the neutral, should Snake attempt a midrange playstyle. F-smash is a viable read option should Snake drop out of shield. Typically this would happen after a failed grenade -> shield, but this is still an option for any read.
As per usual, punishing Snake is knowing your true combos in order to prevent frame 1 grenades. When juggling, u-air is a strong option, especially when Snake recovers and is above the stage. It can also be a strong option when Snake retreats to a higher platform. For edgeguards, f-air is your go-to option when hitting him out of Cypher offstage. If you use it too often in the match it may be staled, so maybe refrain from using it during onstage fights and/or unstale it by spamming pellets and projectiles from a safer distance. Snake has nearly any options at the ledge, so if he recovers low, quickly f-air him to edgeguard. This is very rare, but if he does reach the ledge, f-smash covers most of his options aside from standard getup shield and tournament winner, which are safe, provided Mega Man is far enough.
Top Mega Mains
kameme: The artist formerly known as Kamemushi, Kameme has been a Mega Man main since Smash 4, where he shook the world when he placed 2nd at EVO 2016 with mostly using Mega Man. In Ultimate, he still does well, such as 1st at Umebura Japan Major 2019, 2nd at Umebura SP 3, and 5th at Umebura SP, with wins over Ally, Raito, ProtoBanham, Tea, KEN, and Abadango.
yeti: The Minnesota Mega Man Main is a force to be reckoned with. With 9th at GENESIS 6 and 2nd at Combo Breaker and wins over Larry Lurr, MVD, and Maister, there's no doubt he's one of the best Mega Men in Ultimate.
ScAtt: A Mega Man/Snake co-main, he was probably the most well-known Mega Man in the early Smash 4 days. With wins over Salem, Myran, and MVD and 9th at Smash N' Splash 5 and Come to Papa 3, it's no wonder he's been able to stay relevant in the transition from 4 to Ultimate.
3. Unorthodox Recovery
Snake is probably the only character who recovers high. Using his up-b Cypher, grenades, C4, and b-air and d-air for hitboxes. Cypher allows him to get high in the first place, giving him some breathing room and time to plan out a strategy in order to land. Grenades are the key to landing with Snake. By b-reversing his grenade, he's able to shift his momentum to the opposite direction he's moving towards, so if he's been avoiding you with that, try hitting the other direction than he's going once you get near him. He can also mix this up further with an air-dodge, so it's all about patterns. Grenades also can prevent juggles, as it would explode both of you, allowing him to reset neutral and/or knock you off-stage. If you can hear out for him pulling the grenade pin, don't hit him. Wait for him to land, throw it, or even explode. C4 is also dangerous if he can time it right, but it's most potent if you're on a triplat stage. It might be hard, but paying attention to the C4 coming down/the red blinking dot once it lands on a platform and reacting via shield/running away is important. B-air is his main landing option with an aerial, so if he fastfalls and is close to the stage, shield or dashback vs. the b-air. D-air can also be used if he wants to stall aerial momentum. Beating Snake recovery is less about edgeguarding and more about keeping him in disadvantage above you without getting reversed via grenades and C4. If he for some reason recovers low, a quick spike will take care of him, as Cypher has no hitbox unless Snake falls out of it. Note that Snake still can recover low, especially if you intercept him offstage as he tries to go high, usually with an air-dodge towards the stage to avoid attacks. It can be unpredictable, but if you're able to catch him doing it repeatedly, it should be a quick stock.
4. Edgeguarding
Snake's edgeguarding and ledgetrapping are top tier. Nikita can chase you offstage and cover the ledge very well, either killing you or giving him time to bring out another Nikita. Offstage, mix up your airdodges to avoid Nikita, and save your jump until Nikita gets close enough. However, if you keep jumping over Nikita, the Snake can send it right up and kill you even earlier than if you didn't jump, so if you suspect he's caught onto your jumping, you can instead fastfall to quickly avoid it. Once you're closer to the edge, use your recovery move or airdodge if you still have it. You can also reflect/counter Nikita, or even attack it, which can disable it or explode it. Careful with your drift. If you drift in while hitting it, it might still explode on you, so drift back when hitting it. Characters like Lucina can f-air Nikita and quickly fastfall and go to the ledge.. However, if you're below the ledge and he pulls out Nikita, stay close to the wall and be ready to tech. If you're knocked not that far offstage, quickly getting on can prevent Nikita, whether it be a quick airdodge onstage or to the ledge. However, once you're on the ledge, things get very tricky. Giving Snake time to plant things at the ledge is very dangerous, so getting back on quickly is optimal. Unless however you've been getting on quickly the same way always, so he can quickly bait out your options such as airdodge back on stage with things like u-tilt. Going for the ledge is not always bad, but giving him time to prepare definitely is. Once you're at the ledge, use your invincibility to your advantage via rolling back onstage (watch out for C4) or jump -> directional/neutral airdodge back on. Again, if you suspect he knows you've been doing this, a simple getup can avoid his u-tilt if he does it behind him, allowing you to b-throw to reinstate advantage or even use a kill move. (in some cases, b-throw does both) You can even attack him from the ledge with getup attack or jump -> aerial. His most common trapping moves are C4, Grenades, instant Nikita (pulling out Nikita at the ledge and letting it instantly die) and u-smash. C4 is incredibly telegraphed and slow, so if you just got to the ledge and he starts to place one, immediately jump -> aerial and then get out of that area or be ready to shield. For Grenades, you can empty hop or regular getup onstage and then grab him, as he'll most likely shield to avoid grenade damage, or grab the grenades. You can then either jump over him and throw it at him and then punish, or throw it at him and run to reset neutral. You can also z drop and jump behind him, again either to run or grab after the explosion. Nikita quickly dies and will explode any grenades, as well as taking time to pull out, so rolling onto stage or jump -> airdodge -> attack can avoid it and have some time to reset neutral or punish. U-smash is fairly low lag for an u-smash, so it's all about the timing. If he spams u-smash, rolling can cause him to react with a turnaround u-tilt, while getup shielding can cause him to grab. You could jump from the ledge and try to recover high by directional airdodging through the u-smashes, or jump -> airdodge to either cross him up and land in front of him as a mixup. You could also normal airdodge through the u-smashes and attack, or even getup and spotdodge -> attack if you can time it right.
Weaknesses:
Playing a character that is able to force approaches, such as Mewtwo and Samus with their strong, chargeable projectiles, or Pikachu who can force an approach with TJolt, but also pop grenades and use the projectile as an approach tool for the mixup, can make Snake seem a lot less scary. Even being in % lead or a stock ahead can force an approach, so be patient and let him do the work for you. He can dash grab or dash attack, the latter being able to reach very far, so don't let it fool you, he can Nikita from far away so you can either shield it, use a disjointed hitbox like Lucina f-air to hit it, or if you're fast enough, you can fake a defensive playstyle and immediately rush in once Nikita is far away enough. He can also push forward by C4 zoning in order to gain center stage, so if you see him start to plant C4, attacking him is a great way to push him back out, even if he does plant it, as he most likely will not detonate it while it's close to him. Remember to play defensive, but not to lose center stage, as keeping Snake in the corner takes advantage of his 2nd weakness.
2. Disadvantage State
His disadvantaged state is probably Snake's biggest weakness. His mobility in ground speed, airspeed, and up-b speed makes it very difficult to escape when offstage and while being juggled/above. His fall speed does help, but not to the degree of Fox or Greninja, as well as having so much lag on his moves that if he whiffs one while landing or gets shielded, it's an easy punish OOS. His best bet is to bait an attack and grenade both of you, so he can reset neutral. If your followup is not true or frames away, it's best to bait a grenade and then go for a grab if he's close to the ground. B reverse grenades and directional airdodges let him shift momentum as well, so instead of commiting to a direction, empty hop and then quickly land and dart towards wherever he moved. If he grenades, he can airdodge to further shift momentum, so if you see him b-reverse grenade, remember to dart to his location, stop, and then wait for an airdodge for a punish. If he lands with the grenade and does not airdodge, let him land -> grab. While he's offstage, he'll mainly be looking to up-b from afar and then recover from high above. If your character is strong enough offstage, and you see the Cypher, you can intercept it and hit him again, either killing him or pushing him further from the stage. If your character is not that proficient offstage, you could jump out before he uses Cypher, fake an edgeguard, and then immediately recover to force him below the stage. His Cypher is very susceptible to getting spiked, so maybe get a friend to help you consistently spike at the ledge. Snake's options to avoid ledgetraps are mainly d-air, f-air, all the regular getups, and airdodge. He can also even jump away from the ledge and then Cypher up, so don't count that out as an option. D-air and f-air can easily be shielded, with f-air being incredibly reactable. Airdodge is tricky, as it grants invincibility and can be mixed up, so be patient and punish once he actually lands with your fastest moves, whether it be a quick tilt or even grab to get him back offstage.
Playing Against Snake in the Neutral
Snake's neutral consists of grenades as often as possible, as well as having C4 and Nikita pressure to make approaching difficult and often in his favor. Playing around grenades means being comfortable walking up and grabbing them or even parrying them, so just have the CPU Snake use Neutral Special and them practice using them. Being 100% certain in itemplay is rare outside of characters who have such items, as most competitive players do not practice with them, so it's a good skill to have in a lot of matchups. Also noting when he pulls the grenade and counting 2 seconds is a good indicator that they're about to explode (as they explode at 2.5) , as well as taking into account how long the Snake held the grenade. Approaching against Snake requires constant attention, so watch out for when he places C4. Look for blinking red lights around the stage every 3 seconds (while in neutral), as the C4 blink red and are easily visible when initially placed, and don't forget the position. Respect it's damage and knockback as well, as C4 kills are one of the more common ways Snake can kill an opponent, the others being u-tilt and Nikita. U-tilt is an excellent anti-air and even anti-approach tool, as it's got very good vertical and horizontal range. It also comes out very quickly, at frame 6, with fairly good recovery frames, interruptible at frame 38. The best way to beat it is to get close enough to bait it, and either shield it or quickly dash out once you suspect he's gonna go for it. If your character is fast enough, you can punish it if he throws it out while you have center stage and he's at the ledge, such as with Fox. Nikita is tricky in neutral, as it can chase you around, so use the platforms to quickly move around and dodge it, and then if he overextends Nikita to your side of the stage, try and punish him. Slower characters may require a projectile like Robin neutral-b or side-b, or Ganondorf down-b.
Punishing Snake
Snake has frame 1 grenade, allowing him to escape juggles and even combos well. Making sure your combos are true or at least frames away from true can prevent grenade pulls, but it's still important to not overcommit. Unless your combo is guaranteed, it's more optimal to focus on getting him offstage or if not possible, get him in a juggle situation, and then practice edgeguarding him with a friend. However, he is still a heavy fastfaller, meaning true combos will be more potent against him. Snake's another contender for the best neutral game alongside Wolf and Olimar, so maximize your true combos and get them down to a science, as well as the aforementioned practicing of the edgeguarding. Being patient helps against his mixups when landing, as his grenade b-reversing and airdodges can quickly shift his momentum, so go to him and wait for a movement change until he's airdodged. After he's airdodged, he has no options for a while and is a free punish. Edgeguarding, you should focus on intercepting Cypher as he goes for a high option, or at least being close enough to force him below. Quickly recover back and then punish his low recovery with a d-air, as Cypher has no hitbox. His options of getting back onto the stage from the ledge consists of airdodge, f-air, and d-air, alongside the other options all characters have. F-air is easily reactable, but d-air is very quick, frame 5, so maybe making some space from the ledge can help, as his air mobility isn't very good, and it covers airdodge and directional airdodge. It also can help against roll, getup attack, jumping from the ledge just creates a landing mixup from before. Regular getup loses to grab or a well-timed attack, but aside from the regular mixups all characters have, him getting back onstage is very troublesome for Snake.
Recommended Matchups
1. Fox
Fox is a very fast and rushdown pressure based character, one of the best, if not the best, midrange characters in the game. He can dart back and forth and empty hop repeatedly to force an option that he can then punish due to his speed across the board. Snake's biggest weakness is his disadvantage, something Fox punish in spades, aside from offstage edgeguarding. Fox is fast on the ground and quick to return to it, giving him a potent juggling game, as well as being able to use low lag moves at the ledge to bait different options and then quickly rush to punish them.
In the neutral, Fox can pop grenades with his lasers, but cannot force approaches with lasers, as Snake can crouch under them. However, his approach game is where he really shines. His incredible speed can allow him to grab grenades as they drop, and approach Snake should he try to cook them for longer, giving Snake no breathing room. You can quickly grab one and toss em away, forcing him to pull another one, giving you time to punish, you can use it to force a shield, such as z-dropping it onto Snake and then crossing him up or spot-dodging the explosion -> attack, or avoid it completely by grabbing Snake and using the invincibility all characters get at the beginning of a throw. Fox can completely run away from C4, and Nikita can be reflected. Snake can however use Nikita to create pressure and let it drop, and then run in with dash attack, so staying in reflector gives him breathing room to prepare for approaches or even approach himself, so focus on the offensive. Punishing Nikita is using your quick speed to hop onto platforms or even over it and then running at Snake, still taking into account maybe Grenades or any C4. Punishing with dash attack can be risky, as Snake can detonate after, if the C4 is under where he was at low-mid percents, so instead go for a throw or aerial. Since Fox is one of the lightest characters in the game, trading is a very bad choice, as you can often die at 70% off of edgeguards.
Punishing Snake is very tricky. You need a guaranteed true combo, or he'll pull out a nade and break the flow. If you are aware of the nade, you could possibly combo him low to the ground, and then go for a grab to not detonate it, but Fox gets little off grabs aside from stage control, so it's ill-advised. Once you do have him in disadvantage, however, Fox can really push Snake to his limits. Note that overextending can get you offstage and offstage can get you killed, so don't play so committal. Hitting the tip of your u-air can prevent grenades from bursting, as well as grabbing him when he's lower to the ground. Edgeguarding should also be less committal. Let Snake come to you. On a stage like Town and City, you can use the platforms to edgeguard, but Fox does not do well offstage, so it's a bad idea to risk it. Instead bait Snake with empty full hops and autocancel b-airs, or even laser to rack %. When he's cornered, his best get off me options are dash attack and d-air, Dash attack has a ton of range so expect a cross-up if you're close. D-air is quick as well, but the range is lackluster and puts him at a good range for b-air to get him offstage.
The Best Fox's to Watch:
Light: By far the best Fox player, with the best results and wins. Known for his high-octane and aggressive style, he was one of the players to emerge at the end of Smash 4's lifespan, he burst onto the scene of Ultimate, taking names quickly, such as MK Leo, Tweek, Nairo, Dabuz, Marss, VoiD, ESAM, and Salem, as well as placing 1st at Ultimate Nimbus, 3rd at 2GG: Prime Saga, and 5th at Genesis 6, Let's Make Moves, and Frostbite 2019.
ZD: A strong Fox main with wins over Tweek, Zackray, Salem, Ally, and Leffen. Currently ranked 2nd in MD/VA, with placings such as multiple Smash@Xanadu 1st place finishes, 5th at Ultimate Nimbus, 7th at Let's Make Moves, and 5th at Glitch 6.
2. Pikachu
Pikachu is a quick and agile fighter with great mobility due to quick ground speed and up-b giving him high maneuverability and recovery. This speed allows him to maneuver around grenades as well as quickly outspeed Nikita to punish Snake onstage, as well as to avoid Nikita offstage with mixups. Pikachu also has a deep punish game that benefits very well from Snake's heavyweight and fall speed.
In the neutral, TJolt is a much better tool than Pichu's, as you do not take self-damage, and can therefore use it infinitely. Use these to pop grenades, force shield, force jump, or to even approach if it lands. If Snake throws a grenade at you, you can quickly punish, as the actual grenade itself has no hitstun, so keep pushing. Pikachu can play the midrange effectively, as he has decent speed, along with a quick punish tool with QA that can pop Snake up/put him in tumble, avoid grenades, and outspeed Nikita. Approaching Snake can be dangerous, as you jump so high and your range isn't that great, you can often get anti-air'd by u-tilt. If you're at mid-high percents, consider approaching with air-dodge or run up spotdodge to quickly bait it out and then punish with n-air if you airdodged as you land, or even a quick ground move like u-tilt to quickly punish, or a smash attack for the kill. Playing defensive is much better with Pikachu than Pichu, as you take no self-damage, so be patient and approach with TJolts to try and get them onto a platform or jump.
Punishing Snake is all about practicing true combos such as n-air loops, u-tilt and u-air juggles, or even u-air loops to prevent grenades, as well as QA to punish Nikita while onstage. Edgeguarding is also huge, so when he's offstage and you can predict Cypher, a back air will push him back off or even kill, and Thunder can catch him if you dip below and can space it vertically correctly. D-air is always a good option when he's below, as it'll either spike or send at a low angle sideways. Drag downs are also very good, as they're quick ways to push Snake further down, as Cypher takes a while before it can gain vertical momentum, allowing you to regain your footing and then spike. TJolt can also catch Snake if he hugs the wall while up-bing. Once he's on the ledge, TJolt can still hit, so maybe prep it if you're far away and he's below the ledge by TJolting at center stage and then begin your ledgetrapping. Turnaround f-smash can catch regular getup and getup attack, SH fadeaway u-air can catch roll and avoid getup attack, as well as quickly keeping you close to the ground, allowing for further punishes, and f-air/b-air can get ledgejumps. F-smash can also catch double jump from the ledge, but it's very rare. Pikachu's QA can help push disadvantage, as well as using quick u-airs to reset juggles, Pikachu can keep Snake above him very well.
The Best Pikachu's To Study:
ESAM: The main Pikachu player known for an aggressive yet bait and punish style with an extensive set win list over top players such as MK Leo, Tweek, Nairo, Ally, Myran, yeti, and Ned, with placements such as 1st at BoBC3, 3rd at GOML 2019, 7th at Genesis 6, 4th at Full Bloom 5, and 3rd at Dreamhack Dallas.
Captain L: A Pichu/Pikachu main. Captain L does occasionally play Pikachu, he has better success with Pichu across the board, and so will often play Pikachu and Pichu in the same set.
3. Mega Man
Mega Man's strong projectile game allows him outcamp and combat Snake's defensive style. His pellets allow him to poke at Snake's shield should Snake try to grenade -> shield an approach, as well as pushing back any grenades Snake throws at him, should the pellets hit. Pellets are also able to prevent Snake's limited movement options even further, and snuffing any aggressive/CQC play from Snake. Mega Man being heavy, a fast faller, and having a decent recovery makes trading with him not as strong compared to glass cannon characters, as well as Mega Man having a solid kill option in u-tilt should he read Snake on the ground, or b-air when edgeguarding Cypher.
Tacking on damage against Snake in the neutral is one of Mega Man's strong suits. All of his projectiles are strong at pressuring Snake's shield or dealing poke damage from a distance, such as Metal Blade and Crash Bomber (MB, CB), or snuffing/dealing with close range Snake, such as Leaf Shield's barrier and pellets. F-air and b-air are also both decent spacing tools in the neutral, should Snake attempt a midrange playstyle. F-smash is a viable read option should Snake drop out of shield. Typically this would happen after a failed grenade -> shield, but this is still an option for any read.
As per usual, punishing Snake is knowing your true combos in order to prevent frame 1 grenades. When juggling, u-air is a strong option, especially when Snake recovers and is above the stage. It can also be a strong option when Snake retreats to a higher platform. For edgeguards, f-air is your go-to option when hitting him out of Cypher offstage. If you use it too often in the match it may be staled, so maybe refrain from using it during onstage fights and/or unstale it by spamming pellets and projectiles from a safer distance. Snake has nearly any options at the ledge, so if he recovers low, quickly f-air him to edgeguard. This is very rare, but if he does reach the ledge, f-smash covers most of his options aside from standard getup shield and tournament winner, which are safe, provided Mega Man is far enough.
Top Mega Mains
kameme: The artist formerly known as Kamemushi, Kameme has been a Mega Man main since Smash 4, where he shook the world when he placed 2nd at EVO 2016 with mostly using Mega Man. In Ultimate, he still does well, such as 1st at Umebura Japan Major 2019, 2nd at Umebura SP 3, and 5th at Umebura SP, with wins over Ally, Raito, ProtoBanham, Tea, KEN, and Abadango.
yeti: The Minnesota Mega Man Main is a force to be reckoned with. With 9th at GENESIS 6 and 2nd at Combo Breaker and wins over Larry Lurr, MVD, and Maister, there's no doubt he's one of the best Mega Men in Ultimate.
ScAtt: A Mega Man/Snake co-main, he was probably the most well-known Mega Man in the early Smash 4 days. With wins over Salem, Myran, and MVD and 9th at Smash N' Splash 5 and Come to Papa 3, it's no wonder he's been able to stay relevant in the transition from 4 to Ultimate.
Stage Select:
In most matchups, FD is Snake's worst stage, as the lack of platforms means less escape options and harder to land for Snake. In some cases, such as the Yoshi matchup, you would be hurt more by going to FD, so it's moreso based on character choice and player preference.
Summary:
In summation,
- Pay close attention to grenades and the timing
- Find where C4 was placed, don't forget it
- Practice true combos on Snake to avoid frame 1 grenades
- Edgeguard him off the side with strong f-air or b-air while he's in Cypher startup (before he goes up)
- Pick a fast character and play the midrange game (not too close, not too far)
- Pick Mega Man and camp Snake back
- Pick FD (unless your character sucks on FD)
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- Pay close attention to grenades and the timing
- Find where C4 was placed, don't forget it
- Practice true combos on Snake to avoid frame 1 grenades
- Edgeguard him off the side with strong f-air or b-air while he's in Cypher startup (before he goes up)
- Pick a fast character and play the midrange game (not too close, not too far)
- Pick Mega Man and camp Snake back
- Pick FD (unless your character sucks on FD)
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Follow me on twitter! https://twitter.com/jkoga6
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Changelog:
- Jun. 30/2019 - Fixed kameme writeup
- Jul. 3/2019 - Added heading title
- Jul. 10/2019 - Fixed Recommended Matchup formatting
- May. 29/2020 - Updated Twitter Handle
- Jun. 30/2019 - Fixed kameme writeup
- Jul. 3/2019 - Added heading title
- Jul. 10/2019 - Fixed Recommended Matchup formatting
- May. 29/2020 - Updated Twitter Handle
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