Ness
How to play them
Ness has fantastic range and recovery thanks to PK Thunder which blasts enemies with an electrical charge, while his PK Fire engulfs those that get caught within its radius. Combine these together with his excellent grabs and smash attacks and you have a recipe for success.
Good for
Ness excels at low to mid-range attacks and it’s this deadly combination that makes him a truly formidable opponent. Additionally, his throws are arguably some of the best in the game as they create fantastic openings for his bat and yo-yo smash attacks. Ness is a great all-round character that you should definitely play.
Weak at
The most problematic area for Ness is his poor recovery. While PK Thunder has the ability to launch Ness to safety, it can be easily interrupted by other attacks and character models.
Captain Falcon
How to play them
Jump straight into the action with Falcon Dive or Falcon kick and use your superior speed to overwhelm those around you.
Good for
Captain Falcon is great at rushing down foes, delivering a quick flurry of punches with his neutral attacks. Heavy-hitting moves like Falcon Punch can quickly turn the tide of any battle, especially when you land it on a heavily damaged opponent.
Weak at
Captain Falcon’s weight, falling speed, and gravity make him incredibly susceptible to enemy combos – in fact, once he’s off the stage it’s all too easy to keep him from coming back.
Jigglypuff
How to play
Use Jigglypuff's great aerial abilities to overwhelm your opponent and focus on trying to land its Rest attack. This will allow you to deal tons of damage and can KO even the hardiest of foes.
Good for
Jigglypuff is one of the best abusers of edgeguarding in the game and can stop players from returning to the stage with its fantastic aerial mobility. If you wish to never let your opponent set foot on the stage, then Jigglypuff is the character for you.
Weak at
Jigglypuff is incredibly slow when on the ground and is very susceptible to high-speed attacks, while its overall floatiness makes Jigglypuff incredibly easy to juggle.
Peach / Daisy
How to play
Pressure your enemies with Peach’s vegetable projectiles and use her high attack speed to chain various smash attacks together to send your foe flying.
Good for
Peach’s floating ability gives her decent amounts of aerial potential and adds to her overall recovery. Her ground-based attacks and grabs allow her to deliver huge hits, while Toad offers some incredibly satisfying counter opportunities.
Weak at
Aggressive fighters can overwhelm Peach and capitalise on her slow movement and low weight, forcing her to use her weaker ground-based attacks.
Bowser
How to play
Mario’s arch nemesis packs a fearsome punch. Use his Flying Slam to grab an opponent and slam them into the ground, then use Fire Breath to stop them from retaliating. Once you have chipped away at your enemy’s health go in for the kill with one of his many damaging smash attacks.
Good for
Bowser is great at taking hits thanks to his defensive playstyle. If you’re after a character that can take a lot of damage, while also being able to dish out powerful attacks, then King Koopa is for you.
Weak at
Bowser's suffers from a lack of decent recovery options. Whirling Fortress covers very little distance and is incredibly easy to intercept, while his rolls offers very few spacing options.
Ice Climbers
How to play
Use Ice Shot to zone your opponent before unleashing an icy flurry with Blizzard. This will freeze your foe and stop them dead in their tracks. Once frozen, simply waltz over and smack them over the head with a decisive blow from your hammer.
Good for
This deadly duo deal heaps of damage and their icy attacks can incapacitate even the speediest of foes. They can easily break out of combos and their down throw gives them plenty of opportunities to juggle opponents.
Weak at
If your partner happens to fall in combat, you’ll lose out on damage, recovery options and special moves.
Sheik
How to play
Keep the pressure on your opponent by using Sheik’s Needle Storm and pull them into your smash attacks with Burst Grenade. Be relentless in your attacks and always close any gaps with your dash.
Good for
Sheik is great at harassing her enemies and poking them down with a barrage of deadly needles. Her KO potential is fantastic thanks to her strong aerial hits, while her ground smash attacks can send foes tearing off the stage if they’re not careful. Bouncing Fish and Vanish also grant her decent amounts of recovery.
Weak at
The biggest downside to Sheik’s kit is her relatively low damage output. Sheik favours short bursts rather than single hit smash attacks. Her kit doesn’t allow her to set up many KO plays, so you will need to have a decent read of your opponent if you wish to truly punish them.
Zelda
How to play
Use the Princess of Hyrule’s magical moves to reflect incoming projectiles, teleport to nearby locations, summon a tanky phantom, and deal explosive damage to your foes. When these spells are used in combination with one another, they can both save Zelda from an untimely death and create game-changing openings.
Good for
Zelda is great at avoiding damage with both her teleport and phantom. She deals a lot of damage with her forward smash and can reliably launch fighters into the air with her up smash. Once in the air the high damage from her Lightning Kicks can easily finish off most opponents.
Weak at
Zelda is plagued with high slow projectile attacks and low mobility. Meanwhile, her overall floatiness can prove troublesome when she gets caught in the air.
Dr Mario
How to play
Dr. Mario favours a highly aggressive playstyle as the extra damage from his attacks greatly enhances his win conditions. Constantly grapple your opponent and land smash attacks when they come in to trade, but be sure to constantly position yourself towards the centre of the map to avoid a fatal fall.
Good for
Dr. Mario has more attack and launch power than his regular counterpart. If you like launching foes with powerful punches and throwing them out of bounds with dizzying grabs, then you’ll appreciate the extra oomph behind the doc’s hits.
Weak at
Dr. Mario has even worse recovery options and overall jumping height than regular Mario, so make sure you factor this in before you try to spike airborne opponents.
Pichu
How to play
Use your small hitbox to your advantage and dodge incoming attacks and projectiles by either crouching or crawling. Confuse enemies with Quick Attack to constantly apply pressure with your speedy neutrals and unwanted attacks.
Good for
Pichu is great at confusing enemy players and can effectively flit in and out of combat without taking heaps of damage. If you favour mobility over damage, then Pichu is a great choice.
Weak at
Pichu shares the same weakness as its evolved form, Pikachu. However, it’s feather weight class gives it incredibly poor survivability.
