Villager, otherwise known as the Mayor of Smashville, is making his/her first appearance in the Smash series. He was originally planned to be in Brawl, but the idea never got past the planning stage. This was mainly because he/she does not seem to be of the battling type. However, he/she made it into this Smash game. I will be analyzing his/her first set of special moves.
His/her neutral special is Pocket. This move is incredibly handy, especially for any characters that have projectiles. There are a few examples of characters where this move is virtually useless unless you have items on, such as Little Mac or Donkey Kong. However, most characters have some sort of move, sometimes several, that Villager can pocket. Any move that Villager successfully pockets will deal 1.9 times the damage of the original move. This is a good move to use against characters such as Mega Man or Samus, who have several moves that Villager can pocket.
His/her neutral special is Lloid Rocket. This move is good to use if your opponent has a reflector, such as Fox or Pit. If they reflect it back to you, you can use your Pocket. It’s also good for horizontal recovery, since if you hold the button when you are activating this move, Villager will ride the rocket. He will keep going, so be sure to not rocket yourself off the screen. If you want to get off, you can use the standard attack button. Villager will be made helpless after doing this, so make sure you are not too far from the stage. Hitting an opponent with the rocket when you are on it will deal 2.3 times the original damage of just the rocket by itself, but will also make you helpless after hitting them. Hitting anything such as a sandbag or wall will also make you helpless. There can only be one Lloid Rocket on screen at any one time from one Villager. Using this move when there is already one on screen will do nothing.
His/her up special is Balloon Trip. This move deals no damage and should only used for recovery. When you activate this move, hitting the special button while make you fly higher. You can only do this so many times before you are made helpless. You can also cancel the move at any time by pressing the standard attack button, but you will also be made helpless. If something pops both of your balloons, you will also be made helpless.
His/her down special is Timber. This move is powerful, and it is something that Villager can Pocket if someone reflects it. It has three stages:
- Planting the tree
- Watering the tree
- Cutting down the tree
Planting the tree causes no damage. Watering the tree also deals no damage, but you can use the watering can to push opponents, similar to how Mario’s FLUDD can. When the tree grows, it can deal damage. Cutting down the tree takes two hits on one side. The axe can also be used to damage opponents.
What’s your favorite projectile to Pocket?
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