Landing Footstools
Immortal - June 10, 2017I am sure that everybody knows about footstools by now. They make some pretty cool combos possible. However, they do have another fantastic use when you aren't going for that Mega Man Metal Blade combo or an early gimp on your opponent.
While your opponent is in shield or performing a move, you can still footstool them, they just won't go through the animation. This is called a phantom footstool.
Today, I will be mainly be focusing on the shielded version of this. Whenever you are landing, your jump is extremely important. It can often be the difference in a juggle situation and it adds another defensive option aside from your air dodge.
When covering a landing, many opponents will be content to sit in shield if you approach them and punish a move that you try to throw out to assist your landing. However, they leave themselves very open to a footstool when they do this.
If you see your opponent shielding on the ground as you fade towards them, sometimes it will be a good idea to simply jump on them instead of trying to land immediately. This will not consume your double jump and it gives you more time to assess the situation.
Additionally, many players will see this and, since this is such an underused mechanic, assume that you have used your double jump. This gives you a fantastic advantage on them as you still have a trick up your sleeve when they attempt to punish your next attempt at landing.
In playing Wario, I find this extremely useful due to his great aerial mobility and tendency to stay in the air for a long time. This option adds another layer to a player's landing game that makes the opponent think about holding shield for a long time even if their opponent doesn't have a command grab. Of course, this isn't an option that you should go for a lot.
Most characters can up smash out of shield to catch this, and many will try to punish you before you even get that close to them. It is important to keep your options creative and not amke your movement obvious.
I hope this gave you something to think about the next time you are stuck in the air.
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