Control |
Attack |
Info
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Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk |
Wii Remote (sideways)
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Wii Classic Controller |
GameCube Controller |
Nintendo 3DS
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PK Flash
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Ness sends out concentrated psychic energy that must be held to charge, unleashing it when he releases. The projectile travels in a slightly controllable arc while charging, but cannot fall lower than the height it was initiated on. This is a pretty bad projectile. It is slow, hard to control and leaves Ness vulnerable to attacks while using it, but it has immense power when released, provided that you can actually hit someone with it. Its main use is to strike recovering foes who can't immediately retaliate against the move, but remember it can't go lower than the ledge. It also places Ness in a helpless state if used in the air, further limiting its use. The one situation it would be useful in is in chaotic battles with many players and none of them are focused on you. In this scenario, you can likely use PK Flash for long term bombardment and get some easy KOs.
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Rising PK Flash
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The projectile has a bigger radius but can only keep moving upward. This move gives Ness an actual follow-up off up-throw, but that's where it's positives end. is even slower than PK Flash and has an absolutely terrible trajectory. As it moves straight up, it is very easy for even novices to avoid, since it moves so slow and you barely have any control of it. It is worst for sneaky bombardment when attention is diverted away from you for this same reason. Finally, it is noticably weaker than the default, meaning there's not much point to connect with it. Overall, Rising PK Flash is pretty much just a worse version of an already horrible move.
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PK Freeze
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The projectile is a lot weaker, but gives you greater control over its trajectory and freezes foes it hits. This move is much easier to use, but instead of KO power it offers a bit of utility. It is still not much better than PK Flash, as it still takes a long time to direct the projectile around. It also ends too slowly for you to combo out of a successful freeze, making the effect kind of pointless. At least it is better against recovering foes because it allows for more horizontal movement, but even then PK Thunder does the exact same job safer and more effectively.
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PK Fire
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Ness launches a bolt forward, diagonally downward if he's in the air. If it strikes an enemy, it will burst into a flame pillar that does multiple hits. This is a pretty good projectile when it comes to trapping foes and dealing damage, but it is very slow, which limits how often you can use it. Most of the time it is used as a punish against a whiffed attack or a roll. When you do land it, it traps foes pretty good, usually letting you get a free grab and start a combo. It is also a potent edgeguard, since the flames will drag foes down as they dissipate. The flame can trigger against certain projectiles, items or interactive terrain, so you can use it in these situations to create a lingering wall, sort of like Robin's Arcfire.
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PK Bonfire
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The move is slower and has less range, but the resulting fire pillar is stronger and lasts longer. This move sounds good on paper, but it's easy to see why it is terrible in practice. A major flaw of the custom is that the flame does more knockback. Thus, even when you successfully land the projectile, your target will not be trapped and escape immediately, resulting in overall lower damage for a slower move. This variant's purpose seems to be creating more large, lasting flames to give you more stage control, but it is too slow and too unwieldy to be a worthwhile pick.
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PK Fire Burst
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The bolt will always travel straight even while airborne. Instead of a fire pillar, it simply explodes on hit, knocking foes away. This variant is based off of Lucas's PK Fire, but it is a bit slower than Ness's Mother 3 counterpart. It functions more like a traditional projectile, having slightly more range especially in the air, letting you spam single bolts to keep foes at a distance. It doesn't set up combos like the default PK Fire, but it is more effective against players who can escape from the flame easily.
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PK Thunder
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Ness sends out an electric projectile that can be guided with the control stick. He can guide the ball at himself to launch him with great force, a state usually called the PKT2, for PK Thunder 2. This is Ness's recovery special, and while it does travel a good distance, it is one of the easiest recoveries to edgeguard in the game. You must be able to direct the ball to launch you at any angle, and even then, your opponents have many ways to stop your recovery with ease. Reflectors and absorbers are very dangerous, as they completely counter the electric ball. Foes can also jump into the projectile or even get hit by PKT2 purposely, since doing so will cancel out the ball and the move respectively, while causing you to plummet helplessly. To alleviate this, it is advisable to start PK Thunder further from the ledge, so your foe takes longer to reach you.
Besides using it as a recovery move, PK Thunder is also a very good projectile and KO move. Since you can direct the projectile freely, you can use it to pester recovering foes while remaining safely onstage. You can turn loops with the PK Thunder near your target to make it harder to avoid. You are completely vulnerable while controlling PK Thunder, so press shield to cancel it as soon as your foe gets past it. As for KOing, PKT2 is tricky to land but very strong. If your opponent succeeds at evading your PK Thunder, you can try to direct it toward yourself instead, launching you at them just as they think they're safe for an early KO.
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Lasting PK Thunder
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The electric ball turns tighter and can travel though foes. When launching himself, Ness does less knockback on contact but pierces foes. This move sacrifices power and a bit of distance for safety. Because both the projectile and PKT2 now pierce through foes, you no longer have to worry about enemies bodyblocking your way back onstage, but reflectors and absorbers are still a lethal threat. It is also better for pestering foes since you can zap them multiple times with a single electric ball. PKT2 is not as strong as the default, but can still be a damaging punish option if you manage to land it.
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Rolling PK Thunder
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Both the ball and Ness when launching himself is made stronger, but the distance he travels is reduced. This variant is usable, but its improvements are iffy. Ness's recovery is bad as it is, but reducing his travel distance makes it even worse by forcing you to use it closer to the stage, where opponents have an easier time reaching you. It's also slightly slower, which means it is worse as a projectile. However, a PKT2 can KO extremely early, and landing it is not too different from landing a default PKT2. If you don't mind sacrificing whatever chance you have at recovering for a risky but rewarding attack, you could probably make this custom work.
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PSI Magnet
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Ness surrounds himself with a psychic void that draws in energy projectiles to heal himself. It pushes foes away when he ends the move. This move is one of the very few special attacks that can be used to heal yourself. Against foes that have energy projectiles, it not only keeps them from prolonged projectile camping, but also helps keep your damage low. There is a slight window after ending the move where you can get punished, so watch out for anyone nearby when you use it. PSI Magnet's main flaw is its specific function. It will only ever come in use when you're fighting characters with energy projectiles, being effectively useless against everyone else. Nevertheless, as situational as it is, it is a great move in situations where it is needed.
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PSI Vacuum
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Ness can no longer absorb projectiles, but he can suck foes closer and cause an explosion when he ends the move. This variant is the preferred custom move when going up against characters with no energy projectiles to use against. Its vacuum range is surprisingly big, even though the attack is small. In fact, PSI Vacuum is mostly picked not because of its explosion, but because of its disruptive vacuum. You can use the vacuum to mess up your opponents' spacing, or keep them trapped by PK Fire. It can also be used for edgeguarding, using the vacuum to pull recovering foes away from the ledge. It still won't be used as often as Ness's other moves, but it at least gives you a functional Down Special against someone with no moves to absorb.
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Forward PSI Magnet
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Ness holds the void in front of him, leaving his back vulnerable. Releasing the button zaps opponents in the void. This move is obviously based on Lucas's, but is a poor imitation of the version in Brawl. The Forward PSI Magnet tries to blend utility and attack, retaining your ability to absorb projectiles while also giving you an attack. However, it is worse at absorbing projectiles due to its shifter position, and the ending zap has been greatly reduced in range. Overall, you'd be better going for the other, more specialized Down Specials.
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