Captain Falcon Techniques
Captain Falcon Techniques
Here’s a near comprehensive list of techniques to practice for aspiring Captain Falcon players, separated for GCC and rectangle players. Some things are omitted, mostly matchup specific things because this could be based on your local competition and available practice partners. Some techs that are combinations of other techs are omitted. Lastly, general things like improving speed and cleanliness of inputs are not listed because that should just generally be a goal at all times. The order of the list is based on utility and ease. So the most useful and easiest options are at the top, with more difficult and more niche tech toward the bottom. There is a slight favor toward utility over ease, so if Option A is slightly more useful and slightly harder than Option B, Option A will be listed first. If Option B is less useful but a lot easier than option A, Option B will be listed first. Playstyles, practice partners, and what you enjoy will guide you down the list–don’t get too caught up on any one option, unless it’s at the top of the list.
Falcon Tech (GCC)
Short Hop
Dash Dance
L-Cancel, preferably with light press
JC Grab/usmash if you want
SHFFL
DI as a concept
Wavedash
Tech
Wavedash oos (best to do this early to get your trigger use sorted, using whichever trigger you don’t use to shield)
Wiggle out as a concept
Meteor Cancel
Wall tech/wall jump tech
Regular wall jump
Buffer dthrow, potentially learn to use c-stick for throws in case you prefer in general
WD → fastfall to ledge
Ftilt angles, up tilt
Ledgehop uair/knee
Analog backflip jump
Shield stop, probably into nair
Light shield
Ledgehop nair
Waveland on ground out of short hop backflip
Shield angling
Gentleman on hit
Pivot, start with fsmash on cstick and grab, and then nair once you’re comfortable
Wavelands on platforms, side plats on BF and DL to start, top plat stuff on YS and FoD
Instant Uair, probably a good time to decide if you like to claw in general
Using non-fastfall aerials, mostly focusing on using aerial drift to space well. Also learn to reverse knee on demand in easy situations, e.g. stomp with no DI
Reverse Up+B recoveries below stage
Shield drop uair/bair
Drop zone knee without SD
Ledgedash (imperfect without refresh ok to start)
Run → crouch, dash forward out of crouch
CC grab
Jab→crouch→jab
Jab→walk→grab
Drop zone uair → dj uair
Ledgehop aerials with crisper timing and drifts
Up+B Ledge cancels
Run→teeter
Jump → ff through side plat → uair, waveland/wavedash off top plat → ff through side plat uair
Jump → ff through top plat on YS/FoD bair
More familiarity with weight dependency on dthrow
Drop zone stomp without SD
Drop zone knee on yoshi’s
Start learning weak/reverse hitbox use
Wavedash or waveland→teeter
Ledge cancel aerials on platform and edge of stage, fastfall to ledge at edge
Weak knee → uair off stage with deep fast fall
Start trying to SDI
Empty pivot and more difficult pivot options. Learn Z charge for smash attacks here
Shield drop knee
Gentleman with different timings/numbers of jabs connected
Powershield (mostly on falco laser)
Moonwalk–don’t get fixated on this, if it’s not happening it’s not a big loss
Ledgehop b-reverse falcon punch
Start delving into tech animations
Teeter cancel aerials into action
Instant double jump into waveland, mix in various aerial timings for good measure
Randall Timer–it’s very easy no excuse for not knowing this even as a relative newcomer
Easier nipple spikes (stomp into stomp on conducive characters)
Knee on shield into grab, should be getting pretty comfortable with aerial timings and moving out of them in general around here
Ledgehop bair/uair regrab
Ledgedrop bair/uair
Stomp coverage for platform tech chase
SDI into tech up+b when recovering
Dash back out of crouch
NIL off Yoshi’s ledge
Dash with ASDI down
Amsah tech, fast fall it to ledge
Up throw stick rotate from horizontal
Rising bair/uair → dj
Claw switch for FH uair → dj knee and ledgehop aerials
Frame perfect invincibility refresh
Backflip invincibility refresh
Non-invincible haxdash, feel free to apply it on platforms too
“Legend punch”
Up+B, Up smash oos
Slideoffs in easy situations, mess around with using uair to counterattack, fast fall in general
Pivot wavedash, backflip
Smash turn aerials
Battlefield ceiling hug recovery
Advanced options (airdodge, aerials) after wall tech
Platform movement optimization (fast falls)
Harder nipple spikes
Full stomp extension through platforms for maximum vertical threat
Act out of powershield
Shield drop waveland
Flesh out more platform stuff with wavelands across all stages
Wall jump recoveries
Scar Jump
Up+B → teeter buffer lightshield
FoD platform recognition
Wiggle out situations, AC stomp supplement
SH Knee under BF platform
Smash turn backflip
Turn around out of crouch
Frame perfect ledgedrop bair → up+b onto stage
Invincible Haxdash
Yoshi’s Story/Stadium reverse up+b ledge cancel
T-Drop (with fast fall preferably)
3 frame fast fall ledgehop bair regrab w/ claw and no drift to cover lower recovery angles, knee ledge regrab
Randall use
Better ledgedash without fastfall
Reverse Up+B teeter cancel from below stage
Slideoffs in harder situations, try using knee or stomp to counter sometimes and (ff)wavelanding
1st frame aerial recognition/use on FoD
Combos with IDJ aerials
Empty slideoff, slideoff waveland back on
Zain drop
Angled pivot fsmashes, preferably on c-stick
Run off knee → dj uair without SD (could be much higher on the list but usually not worth going for at risk of SD under pressure)
Yoshi’s Story/Stadium forward facing up+b ledge cancel, FoD reverse up+b ledge cancel
Aerial interrupts onto top plat on YS/FoD
Aerial interrupt off ledge after low up+b
Crouch turn ledgegrab
Aerial interrupt on side platform on DL
Shield drop fast falls
Aerial interrupt on side platform on BF
Amsah tech momentum cancel
Aerial interrupt off ledge after refresh
Shield SDI
Up+b cancel into BF ledge (lol)
Falcon Tech (rectangle)
Short Hop
Dash Dance
L-Cancel, preferably with light press
JC Grab/up smash
SHFFL
DI as a concept
Wavedash
Tech
Wavedash oos (best to do this early to get your button use sorted)
Wiggle out as a concept
Meteor Cancel
Wall tech/wall jump tech
Regular wall jump
Buffer dthrow, potentially learn to use c-stick for throws in case you prefer in general
WD → fastfall to ledge
Analog backflip jump
Ledgehop uair/knee
Shield stop, probably into nair
Light shield
Ledgehop nair
Shield angling
Waveland on ground out of short hop backflip
Gentleman on hit
Ftilt angles, up tilt
Dash with ASDI down
Standing shield drop
Pivot, start with grab and fsmash, then nair once you’re comfortable
Wavelands on platforms, side plats on BF and DL to start, top plat stuff on YS and FoD
Using non-fastfall aerials, mostly focusing on using aerial drift to space well
Dashing shield drop uair/bair
Reverse Up+B recoveries below stage
Drop zone knee without SD (up buffer can be a little awkward to start)
Ledgedash (imperfect without refresh ok to start)
Run → crouch, dash forward out of crouch
CC grab
Jab→crouch→jab
Jab→walk→grab
Start trying to SDI
Drop zone uair → dj uair
Run→teeter
Jump → ff through side plat → uair, waveland/wavedash off top plat → ff through side plat uair
Jump → ff through top plat on YS/FoD bair
Shield drop fast falls
More familiarity with weight dependency on dthrow
Shield drop knee
Smash turn aerials
Drop zone stomp without SD
Drop zone knee on yoshi’s
Start learning weak/reverse hitbox use
Wavedash or waveland→teeter
Non-invincible haxdash, feel free to apply it on platforms too
Ledge cancel aerials on platform and edge of stage, fastfall to ledge at edge
Weak knee → uair off stage with deep fast fall, use shield stop for it sometimes
Empty pivot and more difficult pivot options. Learn Z charge for smash attacks here
Gentleman with different timings/numbers of jabs connected
Powershield (mostly on falco laser)
Platform movement optimization (fast falls)
Ledgehop bair/uair regrab
Ledgedrop bair/uair
Up+B Ledge cancels
Moonwalk–don’t get fixated on this, if it’s not happening it’s not a big loss
Ledgehop b-reverse falcon punch
Start delving into tech animations
Teeter cancel aerials into action
Instant double jump into waveland, mix in various aerial timings for good measure
Randall Timer–it’s very easy no excuse for not knowing this even as a relative newcomer
Wiggle out situations
Easier nipple spikes (stomp into stomp on conducive characters)
Knee on shield into grab, should be getting pretty comfortable with aerial timings and moving out of them in general around here
Start practicing reverse knee from ledge a lot, start messing with modifier buttons for specific aerial spacings
Smash turn backflip
SDI into tech up+b when recovering
NIL off Yoshi’s ledge
Amsah tech, fastfall it to ledge
Rising bair/uair → dj
Frame perfect invincibility refresh
Backflip invincibility refresh
Slideoffs in easy situations, mess around with using uair to counterattack, fast fall in general
Dash back out of crouch
Pivot wavedash, backflip
Stomp coverage for platform tech chase
Advanced options (airdodge, aerials) after wall tech
Harder nipple spikes
Full stomp extension through platforms for maximum vertical threat
Act out of powershield
Invincible Haxdash
Better ledgedash without fastfall
Shield drop waveland
Flesh out more platform stuff with wavelands across all stages
Aerial interrupt off ledge after refresh
Wall jump recoveries
Scar Jump
FoD platform recognition
Shield drop fast fall waveland
SH Knee under BF platform
Frame perfect ledgedrop bair → up+b onto stage
Up+B → teeter buffer lightshield
Yoshi’s Story/Stadium reverse up+b ledge cancel
T-Drop with fastfall
3 frame fast fall ledgehop bair regrab and no drift to cover lower recovery angles, knee ledge regrab
Turn around out of crouch
Randall use
Slideoffs in harder situations, try using knee or stomp to counter sometimes and (ff)wavelanding
1st frame aerial recognition/use on FoD
Combos with IDJ aerials
Aerial interrupt off ledge after low up+b
Zain drop
Empty slideoff, slideoff waveland back on
Aerial interrupts onto top plat on YS/FoD
Aerial interrupt on side platform on DL
Aerial interrupt on side platform on BF
Run off knee → dj uair without SD (could be much higher on the list but usually not worth going for at risk of SD under pressure)
Yoshi’s Story/Stadium forward facing up+b ledge cancel, FoD reverse up+b ledge cancel
Reverse Up+B teeter cancel from below stage
Amsah tech momentum cancel
Crouch turn ledgegrab
Shield SDI
Up+b cancel into BF ledge (lol)