Little Mac (SSB17)

**Little Mac** is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. OC Future. He was revealed alongside Ness, Freddy Fazbear, Spongebob Squarepants and Kirito

## Attributes

### Strengths

* Can wall jump, which is the second highest in the game, after Lucario's.
* Unmatched speed on ground for both movement and attack.
	+ His very low dashing stance allows him to duck some projectiles and attacks.
* Has Super armor frames on many moves, most notably all Smash Attacks and Straight Lunge.
* Fastest Jab, Rapid Jab and Tilts in the game.
* Most of his attacks have low startup and ending lags.
* High knockback and speed on almost all ground attacks.
* Short stature gives him small hurtboxes.
* Third fastest dash speed in the game, after Sonic and almost tied with Captain Falcon.
	+ Additionally, his initial dash makes use of dash dancing and fox trotting to be one of the most usefuls in the game.
* Fastest side dodge in the game, with very little startup and ending lag.
* Has the third highest traction in the game, after Lucario and Jigglypuff.
* Has a Meteor Smash: Down Aerial.
* Very fast Counter that has high range and long hitbox.
* Forward Smash has three variations depending on the direction held when launching it.
* His KO Punch can dispose of opponents with very little percentage. Although it is not a guaranteed instant KO move, it is very powerful and grant him invincibility frames through most of it.
	+ KO bar is filled by causing and taking damage.
	+ Can use moves like down tilt to combo into KO Punch.
	+ KO punch can attack through shields.

### Weaknesses

* Has the worst recovery in the game; an aerial Jolt Haymaker gives very little horizontal movement, while his aerial Rising Uppercut merely launches him upwards, being lower than his second jump.
* Lightweight, being among the ten lightest characters in the game, being tied with Falco.
* Extremely weak aerial attacks, with very small hitboxes.
* Very poor grab game, lacking combo throws and kill throws.
* None of his ground attacks deal reliable shield damage, except for Forward Smash tilted down.
* One of the lowest jumping heights in the game, alongside Ganondorf and Megaman, and also the lowest double jump.
* Lacks projectiles and long range options.
* Can't deal with ranged opponents very well.
* Jolt Haymaker can easily result into self-destructs, as it propels him forward and into a helpless state, causing him to fall off the stage if used incorrectly.
* Rising Uppercut only has KO power if used on the ground; its aerial version is very weak, only KO'ing opponents above 150%.
* Even though a normal Straight Lunge fully charged can cause high damage, it has very high ending lag, making him vulnerable for punishment.
* Straight Lunge's KO Punch can be lost if Little Mac is hit by an attack with high enough knockback to send him into a tumbling state, if he is KO'ed, or if he is hit right before using it.
* Struggles against the majority of the cast, especially those with powerful gimping potential, such as Ryuko Matoi and Baxter.
* His Meteor Smash is very weak like the rest of his aerial attacks.

## Summary

Little Mac is a **Footsie**, notable for having a very powerful ground game, but very weak airborne, as well having very poor recovery moves. However, he has plenty moves with super armor and invincibility frames in his attacks.

Little Mac's ground game is nearly unmatched, boasting speed and power. His Rapid Jab is amazingly fast, capable of racking up lots of damage and having decent launch with the finisher; he can also cancel the first two hits easily, allowing to plenty follow ups and fake outs. His Tilts are good for combo strings, with his Down Tilt setting up for all kinds of combo opportunities, especially if he has the K.O. Punch. Forward Tilt is his strongest Tilt, being specially powerful to surprise opponents and break combos. Up Tilt can set for semi-juggling setups and covers a wide area all around Little Mac, being a good anti-air move. Finally, his Dash Attack, while having considerable ending lag, has good knockback and covers a good range.

His Smash Attacks are some of the strongest in the game, and notable for having Super Armor during the attack frames; while he doesn't have it while charging, players can release it sooner to punish opponents trying to interrupt his Smash Attacks. Little Mac's Forward Smash can be angled, and it is unique as each angle boasts from different properties: if not angled, it is a straight punch with great damage and knockback; if angled up, it is an uppercut that deals slightly less damage, but deals higher knockback and launches opponents upwards; if angled down, it inflicts high damage and shield damage, but deals less knockback. Little Mac's Up Smash is very powerful if sweetspotted, at the base of his fist as soon the move is launched, having a fiery effect. Down Smash is a powerful sweeping move, covering lots of ground and great for edge-guarding.

Aside Rapid Jabs and Forward Tilt for racking up damage, his Forward Smash is very powerful if angled down, as it is one of his strongest attacks, being able to deal over 25% if fully charged, being useful to punish opponents who side dodge a lot. A good way to approach with Little Mac is by doing dash-dances, fox trots, Perfect Pivot into Forward Tilt or Rapid Jab, or even moving slowly and countering every move, in order to intimidate and pressure the opponent.

While Little Mac's aerials are atrocious in attack power and range, they can be good for setting up small combo strings, especially his Forward and Neutral Aerials, as their low knockback often sends opponents slightly downwards, which can lead into his powerful ground attacks. His Up Aerial can be useful after launching an opponent into the air from the ground, although it has no utility at all for juggling, being only useful for damage racking. Back Aerial functions similarly to Forward Aerial, but has less range and slightly higher knockback. His Down Aerial has absolutely no Meteor Smash power behind it, being very weak in both launch and damage; however, it can be useful for footstool locks or for gimping opponents just enough that they cannot get back.

His throws are not very powerful, lacking in both damage or knockback, and none of them can guarantee combos. However, they can be used for creating small setups such as baiting air dodges. Little Mac using pummel tends to be more rewarding than throwing.

Little Mac's Neutral Special, Straight Lunge, is a great move that has super armor frames during the whole move; when charging and after releasing. If an opponent is going for a grab, launch the attack immediately. Don't fully charge the move either; if an opponent is able to predict when the attack will be launched (at full charge) they can easily dodge, run up behind Little Mac, and punish, which is easy to do because the move can leave him wide open if he misses. In addition, fully charging Straight Lunge greatly increases the ending lag, leaving Little Mac very vulnerable.

Once Little Mac deals and/or takes enough damage, his Straight Lunge becomes the K.O. Punch. This move can KO opponents below 50%, and is another great finisher for combos; a good way to trap opponents just long enough for Little Mac to throw it out on them is to use Down Tilt, Neutral Aerial, and Down Aerial. It can also be used as a recovery if used correctly because it can give Mac just enough forward momentum to get him to the edge.

Little Mac's Side Special, Jolt Haymaker, is very powerful on both ground and air (although its aerial version covers much less range). If Little Mac finds himself cornered at the edge by an opponent, Jolt Haymaker towards the center of the stage to get back to the middle of the ring and damage the opponent while doing it. Additionally, if used correctly, this move can lead to stage spikes, although it is risky to do. Jolt Haymaker is infamous for being very easy to suicide with, leading to many offtstages leaps. Jolt Haymaker can also be useful on the stage; the jump Little Mac performs combined with the Super Armor frames of the move can dodge low-flying or small projectiles and even tank some larger projectiles and then hit the opponent that launched them. The leap can also dodge some lower attacks such as down tilts and down smashes; this is especially useful for combating Shulk's down smash, which has tremendous range that Little Mac could not otherwise get past without Jolt Haymaker.

Rising Uppercut is a great combo finisher when started on the ground and is also useful out of shield when an opponent is right next to Little Mac. The move can combo out of the first two hits of jab and it can kill off the ceiling if the opponent has enough damage. In the air it is rather weak in terms of recovery.

Slip Counter is an extremely useful move both in the center and at the ledge. If an opponent cornered Little Mac at the ledge and is going for a launching smash attack, Slip Counter is the way to go; just be sure not to let it loose too early and don't use it too often--throwing out counters all day will get him grabbed time and time again.

If one is playing as Little Mac on a stage with lots of platforms, they should stay on the safest platform to ensure he has the smallest amount of risk of falling off the edge. Make the opponent come to Little Mac and fight on his terms. If it is a travelling stage that forces him to move off a safe platform, make sure he has minimal air time when moving from platform to platform. It is key to stay on the ground where Little Mac is the powerhouse. To main Little Mac, traversing the stage is a very important factor to ensure Little Mac doesn't fall short of the ledge.

However, his most blatantly and exploitable flaw is the polarity of his gameplay: being an outstandingly dominant force on the ground but reduced to a flailing and ineffective fighter in the air; his jumps are short and sluggish and his recovery is the worst in the game. If he is sent flying off the stage at a high percentage, specially if the knockback is horizontal, there is a high chance he won't come back. Little Mac also has few tools for edge-guarding, and if done it should always be executed from the edge and not the air. Unless players are 100% certain they'll be able to guard the edge, they shouldn't do it in the first place. The opponent will find a way to read their attack, dodge accordingly, and then reverse the roles, putting Mac in a bad position. Putting it into boxing terms, since Little Mac is a boxer; in boxing, the boxer doesn't want to get stuck in the corner or the opponent will be able to beat on them relentlessly. Boxers want to stay in the center; the same goes for Little Mac in Smash. Stay centered on the stage and away from the edge for the most part. Rely on his smash attacks to launch the opponents away from the center of the stage rather than risk getting K.O.'d at the ledge.

Overall, Little Mac is a very good fighter, however he must stay at low percentages and on the ground to survive. Because of his poor recovery, rushing recklessly with Little Mac is usually not a good idea, even with his all powerful attacks. While a powerhouse, Little Mac's gameplay reflects a bit of his Punch-Out!! games; he is powerful, but must time his attacks to avoid retaliation, countering opponents and punishing when they miss.

## Alternate Costumes

* *See: Alternate Costumes (Super Smash Bros. OC Future)*

File:Little Mac Palette (SSB17).png