Hey there Smashers! Welcome to the next entry of the Super Smash Bros. strategy guide blog series, Smash Study Hall! Plasmaster here.
Today we are doing a Villager guide, because if I don't the creepy village guy behind me will use the axe he is holding...
Anyways...let's get started! Villager has a lot of tools at his disposal; in the Animal Crossing games, you never know what will happen next; you've just got to take every day as it comes. You kind of need to do the same as Villager, using the right tools depending on the situation you and your opponent are currently in.
Villager's most valuable tools are his special moves, so why not go right into those?
Pocket is only useful against opponents that Have projectile moves. If you are playing against an opponent that spams projectiles (like every Link player...shots fired) than you can Pocket some of their projectiles. What you do with those projectiles is up to you, since it will vary depending on what you pocketed. Instead I will just go over A few Pocket stuff for you to know. Pocket will work even if an opponent is firing a projectile from behind you; Pocket has a good range that goes behind Villager as well. This is a good way to catch your opponent off guard by putting them in the sense that you are vulnerable when you are in fact not. Don't Do this too often or they will catch onto it or you'll get the timing wrong.
The Lloid Rocket is another good tool Villager has. It is good for zoning and has a number Of strategies that work with it. First I want to cover the way you can use it though, namely, riding it. Villager can ride the rocket and this can lead into some good combos if it hits. Ride the rocket until you hit the opponent at which point Villager will leap upwards; immediately use down air or neutral air to hit your opponent, which can then lead into a forward tilt or down tilt if done correctly. Now the Lloid Rocket provides a good horizontal recovery, but if you are facing an opponent with a reflector, don't use this method of recovery or you will be Killed for it. Now for some good Lloid Rocket strategies. If your opponent reflects the Lloid Rocket you fired back at you, Pocket it. Then, use the side special and immediately after, take the other rocket out of your Pocket. This will give the opponent two Rockets to deal with; either they'll deal with one and get hit by the other, or they'll shield/reflect both of them. If they opt for the latter option, jump above them and hit them with a down air or go behind them and grab. A good strategy while recovering is to fire the Rocket when Villager is parallel to the ledge; do not get on the rocket. Instead, recover low to the edge using the Balloon Trip. The rocket will force edge-guarding opponents to retreat in some way, giving Villager breathing room on the Edge. There is another Lloid Rocket strategy, but I'll cover that under the Timber section instead.
Villager's up special is among the best recoveries in the game. Recovering low with it is a good option but it can be used for some horizontal movement as well. If you are recovering with this move, always go for the ledge. Recovering high with this move is a bad idea since the move leaves Villager vulnerable and the opponent will punish you for it.
Timber is one of Villager's best tools. Once you have planted the sprout, Villager has the watering can, which possesses pushboxes. These can be used for edge-guarding if done right. Once you've watered the sprout, it will grow into the tree. This tree has lots of uses. It provides Villager with defense against enemy attacks. A great strategy with the tree is the Tree Fort strategy. Plant the tree and grow it to full size. Stay behind the tree and get very close to the tree; then, use the Lloid Rocket. The rocket will fly forwards on the other side of the tree and hit opponents if you're lucky; it can also force opponents into the air, which you can then fend off with a forward air. If they are bombarding your tree for with projectiles, Pocket a projectile and roll to the other side of the tree. Throw out the projectile and then roll back to your original position. This can also be done with the Lloid Rocket. If your opponent gets too close, roll to the other side of the tree and sing the axe to launch them. A good habit is to put one hack into the tree as soon as you grow it so that if your opponent gets too close you can chop it down right away with one strike. The tree has a lot of launch power while sprouting up and when falling down. The axe provides Villager with a kill move in the air and on the ground, so if your opponent is expecting you to roll around the tree and fire a rocket off, surprise them by swinging the axe instead, provided they're in range. The tree is also good for edge-guarding, planting it on the edge will pressure the opponent when they are on the edge, and chopping down the tree if they are recovering low will make them wish they hadn't.
There you have it! All of Villager's special moves. Now for his standard attacks.
Villager's jab is good for putting on damage but is otherwise Not too great. His forward tilt is great for spacing and combos. His up tilt hits twice and is a reliable way to get opponents into the air for an aerial follow-up attack like an up air. His down tilt is equally useful for this.
Villager's smash attacks are all very unique in that they all have varying uses. His up smash is great for covering Villager from the air and actually combos into itself at low percentages and combos out of his down throw. His down smash will bury opponents and is a good combo setup. It is a good habit to use this at higher percentages so that opponents will be buried longer giving Villager more time to get off an attack. His forward smash doesn't have much horizontal range to it but is great move nonetheless. It has a lot of launch power and is great for edge-guarding. Low-recovering opponents will answer to a bowling ball dropped over the ledge and onto their head.
Villager has a lot of combo options in the air but no killing options. His neutral air is good for combos and spacing. Villager's forward air and back air are great for clearing space on the edge; when recovering, use your midair jump and forward air; the great range of the move will clear space on the edge for Villager despite not having much damage behind it. The forward air and back air can continue combos from a good range. Villager's up air is great for juggling. The launch power varies depending on the number of turnips; three turnips can kill off the ceiling at around 110%. His down air is good for putting on damage but is an unreliable meteor since the meteor effect is only there with three turnips. If you are trying to meteor with it, you might get lucky, but it is not recommended.
Villager's throws are pretty straight forward. Up throw is good for setting up an up air but otherwise isn't very useful. His down throw can combo into up smash, up tilt, forward air, neutral air, up air, and back air. Forward and back throws are good for getting opponents off-stage to set up for a bowling ball kill.
Villager is a versatile character with a lot of tools at his disposal. All you need to do is use these tools effectively at the right time in the right place.
I hope you enjoyed the Villager guide! I also hope this guide helped to improve your Villager game!
If you have any questions, please let me know down in the comments. While you're at it, let me know what other characters you'd like to see!
I see it! A vision of a Smash Study Hall with Buster, Backslash, Chain Attack action! I'm really feeling this one! The Shulk guide is next! Oh, along with a little surprise between now and that guide...
Until next time, keep on smashing and leave it to Heropon!