Meta Knight (Smash Plus)

Meta Knight is a playable character in Super Smash Brothers Plus for the Nintendo Switch Plus. Representing the Kirby universe, he is listed as Fighter #29 in Smash's modified numbering system, and is classified as a Lightweight fighter. He is hidden at the start of the game, but may be unlocked through random encounters in Versus Mode or by scoring 10 KO's in a single match on the Halberd stage.
Meta Knight's reputation from previous Smash games certainly preceded him, resulting in several nerfs in the transitions from Brawl to Smash 4 and Smash 4 to Ultimate. He retains many of his gameplay aspects from previous games: that of a speedy combo fighter who has to be opportunistic to find KO opportunities. Improved from Ultimate is Meta Knight's damage potential in combos, as Drill Rush can now combo into Shuttle Loop due to the former no longer leaving Meta Knight helpless. The trade off is some of his momentum ability, as he now only boasts 5 jumps as opposed to 6. His biggest weakness, though, is his lack of durability. Due to his lightweight, Meta Knight can be sent flying with great ease. Players must be cautious about how much damage they've taken, while also waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back to score the win. As stated, Meta Knight as 5 normal jumps (4 of these in midair, of decreasing heighth) and no additional movement options.
== Moveset ==
=== Basic Attacks ===
* Neutral Jab- Meta Knight launches into a series of repeated jabs with his sword, finishing off with a backflipping slash to knock opponents away. The only multi-hitting jab that can continue infinitely, though the knockback eventually cycles opponents out of combos.
* Side Tilt- A three-hit combo attack consisting of a horizontal slash followed by an upward and then a downward slash attack. Can be canceled in between attacks for greater versatility.
* Up Tilt- A general upward thrust. It has a fairly large sweetspot at the end of the Galaxia Blade, but the move has poor horizontal range and virtually no combo potential.
* Down Tilt- Meta Knight crouches down and thrusts his sword forward, with a chance of tripping foes at lower percentages.
* Dash Attack- Meta Knight performs a quick forwards kick. Only good as a combo starter at low percentages, due to its higher base knockback.
* Grab & Pummel- Meta Knight performs a short-range grab with his free hand. He pummels with a jab from one of the talons on his wings.
* Forward Throw- Meta Knight simply kicks the foe forward a short distance, but too far to be a reliable combo throw.
* Back Throw- Meta Knight teleports behind the opponent and then slashes their backside, knocking them away.
* Up Throw- Meta Knight performs his version of Kirby's Up Throw, piledriving the opponent into the ground after flying up with them. This version doesn't explode.
* Down Throw- Meta Knight repeatedly stomps the foe after slamming them down on the ground, again mimicking Kirby's ability of the same throw.
* Neutral Air- Meta Knight somersaults in the air repeatedly with his sword extended. This move has a lingering hitbox and launches on one hit, with the damage being scaled down significantly on later hits.
* Forward Air- Meta Knight hits three slashes in front of himself with his Galaxia Blade. New to Plus, the first hit more reliably leads into the other two hits, making it a much more consistent combo attack than before, though at the expense of damage.
* Back Air- Meta Knight performs a single powerful slash with his blade from low to high. One of the better launching aerials, it sweetspots right as the blade crosses the x-axis of Meta Knight's body.
* Up Air- Meta Knight performs a single arcing slash above his head. While its damage isn't the greatest, it's limited knockback can be used for combos at lower percentages due to its quick attack speed.
* Down Air- Meta Knight performs a single downward slash with his sword. When the move sweetspots at the edge of the blade, it raises Meta Knight slightly higher into the air, limiting its aerial combo potential but increasing its utility against grounded opponents.
=== Smash Attacks ===
* Side Smash- Meta Knight performs a simple outward slash with his sword. It has the worst startup lag of any of his smash attacks, but it does decent damage and great damage against shields.
* Up Smash- Meta Knight swings his sword over his head, performing three fanning slash attacks. Weaker than it looks, the hitbox is only contained on the sword and each hit does minimal damage. However its low endlag makes it a decent juggling attack.
* Down Smash- Meta Knight slashes his sword on either side of himself. It's one of the quickest attacks in his arsenal, making up for the low overall knockback of both hits.
=== Special Moves ===
* Neutral Special: Mach Tornado- Meta Knight spins around quickly, creating a slashing blade tornado as he slices and dices for the duration of the attack. Players can mash the special button to make the move last longer, as well as slightly lift Meta Knight into the air. Despite appearance, the move only hits once, but its hitbox remains consistent in damage throughout, replacing the clean and late hitbox from Ultimate.
* Side Special: Drill Rush- Meta Knight rushes forward in a corkscrew fashion, swinging his Galaxia blade the entire time. The move hits multiple times with limited launch power on the final hit to allow for greater combo potential. Better still, the move no longer causes freefall after completing, allowing the player to combo straight into up special for additional KO opportunities. The downside is that the drill doesn't last as many frames and can no longer be steered up or down.
* Up Special: Shuttle Loop- Extending his cape into wings, Meta Knight soars into the sky with Galaxia outstretched. Part way through he loops around with a second slash that launches foes away before falling back down to the ground. When combined with Drill Rush, it provides Meta Knight with his best KO option as well as a great recovery move. The launch power has remained the same, making this one of the best moves in Meta Knight's arsenal.
* Down Special: Dimensional Cape- Meta Knight wraps himself in his cape and then teleports in a general direction based on directional input (or disappears and reappears in the same place if no direction is indicated.) Meta Knight is intangible during most of the attack, and if players hold down the special button, then Meta Knight will perform a powerful slash attack upon reentering the battle, at the expense of more endlag for the attack. If Meta Knight ends up in the air at the end of the teleport, he will enter freefall until he hits the ground, meaning the move is dangerous to use off stage.
* Final Smash: Darkness Illusion- Meta Knight extends his wings and a bolt of lightning strikes him, creating a short shockwave in his immediate vicinity. Any player hit by the bolt, shockwave, or Meta Knight himself will be sent to the center of the stage, where Meta Knight delivers several diving slashes with his Galaxia Blade in quick succession, before finishing them off with a final slash attack to send them flying.
=== Miscellaneous ===
* Entry Animation- Meta Knight appears on stage with a swirl of his Dimensional Cape, warping in with a flourish.
* Idle Animation 1- Meta Knight assumes a defensive posture, rotating Galaxia in his hands a bit.
* Idle Animation 2- Meta Knight flips his cape in front of his face, before dramatically flipping it back.
* Side Taunt- Meta Knight slashes Galaxia in front of himself twice and then points it forward, saying "Fight Me!"
* Up Taunt- Meta Knight wraps himself in his dimensional cape and spins in place briefly before returning to normal.
* Down Taunt- Meta Knight spreads out his wings and strikes a triumphant pose, saying "Come!"
* Victory Animation 1- Meta Knight performs three slashes with Galaxia while saying "Come back when you can put up a fight." before warping away.
* Victory Animation 2- Meta Knight flies in and then flourishes his cape, saying "You've much yet to learn!"
* Victory Animation 3- Meta Knight slashes Galaxia twice, finishing on a pose and saying "Victory...is my Destiny!"
== How to Unlock ==
Meta Knight can be unlocked any of the following ways:
* Playing versus matches until he randomly shows up as a "Challenger Approaching" fight. Defeat him to unlock him.
* Score at least 10 KO's in a single match on the Halberd stage.
* Unlock him in the Finale of World of Light by defeating him.
* Pay 1,000 gold in a shop, where he can randomly show up (though rarely).
Category:Super Smash Bros. Characters
Category:Super Smash Bros. (series)
Category:Smash Plus Characters