Super Smash Bros. Brawl/Fox

Fox

Fox falls into the category of light and speedy fighters. He's best recognized for his unimaginably fast falling speed, which works both for and against him, and his quick Reflector.

Advantages

• Falls much faster than any other Brawler, which increases his mobility and ability to combo
• High footspeed
• Down-B can reflect projectiles
• Reflector might have the game's fastest start-up
• When falling a great distance, using Reflector repeatedly can slow descent and trip up opponents
• Reflector can semi-spike; since it stalls in the air, it can be used repeatedly to edgeguard
• Possesses the only non-grab non-poison attack in Brawl that deals damage but doesn't induce flinching: Blaster
• Most KOing moves are very fast for their punch
• Has two slightly different recovery specials, which can aid the mindgame aspect
• "Curved Fire Fox" third jump allows him to recover around stage lips, unlike most third jumps
• His Dair can combo into many moves, including smashes

Disadvantages

• Falls much faster than any other Brawler, making him the easiest target for chain throwing and combos
• Fox is on the lighter side, so he's easy to KO him from low damage
• Both recovery specials produce a lag on start-up, making him vulnerable to projectiles and speed-hogging

Special Attacks

Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways)	Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Special Attack	Info
				Blaster	(1-3% per shot; more damage at closer range) Fox pulls out his gun and fires. Tapping the button repeatedly causes intense rapid-fire, but the shots will never cause flinching. The shots will, oddly, knockback shielding and trigger special combos. The gun's range is just short the span of Final Destination.
+	+	+	+	Fox Illusion	(7% damage) Flashes, then dashes forward to attack any enemies in his path before coming to a sudden halt. The start-up and ending lag of this make it easily punishable, but it can successfully be used a surprise attack in the heat of battle. This doubles as a recovery attack; it works well if you dash straight towards the ledge, but going onto the stage or under the ledge can be fatal, so aim well. It's a common strategy to grab a ledge, drop off the ledge, double jump, then Illusion back onto the stage to attack an edgeguarding foe. The problem is it's two common, and most experienced players will see it coming. The solution: mindgame them into thinking you're planning it, then recover normally and safely. The timing is nigh-impossible, but by tapping B after the flash but before Fox dashes, you can halt the dash partway through. There seems to be two points where he stops: before dashing and halfway through the dash. He still slides to a halt, so the ending lag isn't diminished much (if at all).
+	+	+	+	Fire Fox	Fox floats in place, engulfed in flames, then launches upwards--by holding the analog stick (or-dpad), he'll launch in any other direction you choose. When he's in inflamed floating, nearby enemies will take damage and be drawn in--and of course the launch deals some damage as well. This is mainly used as a recovery attack, but it can be surprisingly easy to mindgame opponents with this. But if they have a projectile or long attack range, they'll probably just smash you out of the attack before you can unleash it. When using any controller except the Nunchuk-less Wiimote, you can hold the analog stick halfway between the 90 degree (top) and 45 degree marks (upper-left or upper-right) notches in the controller. Doing this when choosing the direction of Fire Fox causes Fox to shoot up at a curved angle, which allows him to traverse around the jutting lips of some stages.
+	+	+	+	Reflector	Tapping this causes Fox to flash a blue shield, and holding it allows the shield to stay up. The shield reflects any incoming projectiles, even from a Lip's Stick or PK Thunder. Anyone nearby when Fox initially flashes Reflector will be struck and take a little damage. While holding the Reflector up, no damage is dealt. Reflector can be flashed in rapid succession, especially while aerial. Each flash pauses Fox's descent (and horizontal movement, if aerial). You can leap off the stage's edge, then Reflector-Flash near the edge to function as a bumper deflecting any enemies trying to recover. The Reflector flash works as a weak semi-spike (knocks an opponent down and to the side), which only makes edgeguarding with it even more useful. In Melee, this attack was known best for having the fewest start-up frames. In Brawl it seems to be just as fast, but new moves and new fighters may have matched or outdone it. Note: While in the midst reflecting, Fox cannot drop his Reflector. Against "streaming" projectiles like Fire Breath or his own repeated Blaster, this can cause him to remain in reflector stance long after the controlling player has released B.

Taunts

Wii Remote + Nunchuk	Wii Remote (sideways)	Wii Classic Controller	GameCube Controller	Taunt
				He surrounds himself in a fiery aura and says, "Here I come!"
+	( or )+	or	or	He tosses his gun in the air then catches it.
	+			He says "Come on!" while gesturing with his hand. Press it for only a split second when on Lylat Cruise or Corneria to hear a radio conversation between the other members of Team Star Fox (and sometimes, Team Star Wolf). This is easiest to pull of if you barely knick the bottom edge of the D-pad with your fingernail (or finger).

Final Smash

Landmaster

Landmaster: It's the tank of Team Star Fox. Ride it to blow your enemies away. Hold jump to hover, tilt down to roll, tap left or right to spin, and press attack to fire the cannon. Rolling and spinning does damage to nearby enemies, but the cannon is easily the Tank's strongest attack. The cannon notably strikes anyway riding on the shaft, not just what's in front.

If a slow character is standing atop the Tank, the driver can hover to the top of the stage to instantly KO his passenger. Faster characters, like Fox himself, will usually be able to dash off the tank in time to save themselves. This is notably a better tactic with Falco's or Wolf's, since they can ascend faster. However, Falco's deals less damage with conventional attacks, while Wolf's disappears sooner.

If you yourself are faced with Fox's Landmaster, dive for a ledge and hog it, refreshing your grab on it as often as possible to preserve your invincibility frames. If you're a floaty character like Jigglypuff or Kirby, hide underneath the stage as much as possible. If you're on an edgeless stage, you're pretty much boned, especially if you have little horizontal speed.

Match-Ups

Fox generally does better against "floaty" characters (mainly Kirby and Jigglypuff). These characters generally rely on mid-air juggling opponents--Fox's ridiculous falling speed and Reflector-stalling make this significantly more difficult.

His reflector also makes projectile-focused characters like Samus, Link, or Pit easier targets.

Ness or Lucas

Using Reflector, you can hover over them if they try to recover. If you're lucky, you'll Reflector-Flash PK Thunder back at them as the bolt emerges from their head, and they'll fall to their death as you Fire Fox back onto the stage. If you're not quite as lucky, they'll hit you with Thunder, then fall to their death as you FireFox back onto the stage.

This works best if the target drops below the ledge before Thundering--which is common practice. Thunder-Reflecting when they're level or higher than the stage is a much harder task, but from these angles they won't be able to grab the edge as easily. If they miss the edge, you can jump, roll, or shield as they recover, then hit them with a Dair or another attack during their after-lag.