Introduction
Falco is the quintessential definition of a glass cannon. He dominates the neutral game, boasting insane frame data and arguably the best projectile in the game. After landing a hit or even from a disadvantage state, Falco also has limitless combo and mix up potential thanks to his unique version of shine and his oppressive Down Air (dAir) that allow him to convert any hit into his deadly "pillar" combos
There is no exaggeration when it's said that this bird's laser is one of the most obnoxious projectiles in this game, and perhaps all of fighting games. Unlike Fox's laser, his Blaster's laser deals hitstun when it connects, meaning that Falco can immediately take control of the match by restricting the opponent's movement in neutral from the very start of a game. This can continue as strong zoning, or when he is closer he can use it to start his obscene pressure, or even fit it into combos to catch certain options and chain into stronger finishers. This plays into the rest of his moveset, as if the opponent attempts to get around the lasers vertically, he can perform extremely low commitment anti airs as a hard counter that start off his damaging combos.
Falco has a few main weaknesses. First his movement. Compared to his crewmate fox, his movement is trickier and more predicated on burst options like his wavedash and powerful jump options, but he rather makes up for it by controlling his opponent's movement with his gun. Second, his kill confirms. In general, building damage and performing long flashy combos is the easy part. Finishing the job however can necessitate mix ups or creativity. This is a problem only exacerbated by his weak grab combos, resulting in Falco dominating the majority of most matches but having the final result determined by how well the Falco can seal the deal.
His recovery moves are a bit of an anomaly, allowing for countless mixup options but coming with massive weaknesses. His Side B is faster than foxes and has a meteor property on hit meaning it can reverse bad situations in a heartbeat, and his firebird has all the same dizzying angle choices that fox's does. However, due to the low range and very flawed hitboxes of both of these moves, in conjunction with his high fall speed, he is EXTREMELY susceptible to early % kills, dubbed gimps. When they work, they're amazing recoveries with infinite mix up potential. When they don’t, it can be frustrating.
In summary, Falco is a control focused character who sports the best neutral and flashiest combos of the cast. Just remember that this bird can’t fly.
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