Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features many different fighters of all shapes and sizes. From normal humans to animals and monsters, there’s no shortage of diversity when it comes to the designs of characters. On a completely different side of the cast, you have a character that has a rather “flat” design philosophy. That character is Mr. Game & Watch, a composite representation of a series of handheld games.
Mr. Game & Watch is a very interesting character with a lot of strange attacks. These interesting aspects of his character lead many people to having issues with the matchup. Here’s a look at some of Mr. Game & Watch’s tools and how you can overcome them.
Mr. Game & Watch’s Strengths
One of Mr. Game & Watch’s greatest strengths is his strange attacks. He has plenty of moves that work in many different ways and can throw off unsuspecting players. His Neutral Air and Back Air (or NAir and BAir) are prime examples of this, on top of being moves that combo not only into themselves but also other moves in his kit. There’s also his smash attacks with lots of interesting properties to them, like Up-Smash’s invincibility or Down-Smash’s ability to bury opponents. The relative safety on these moves and the speed that they come out give him a great advantage state that makes it seem like he can just mash buttons, rack up damage, and apply pressure for free.
He also has great defensive options. One that you’ll mostly see are his out-of-shield options. If Mr. Game & Watch is being pressured, he can perform some attacks to not only escape, but reverse the situation onto the opponent. One of these attacks will be his Up-B, a really fast move with a hitbox that gives him heightened aerial mobility as he falls back down. He can act out of this move with any other attack or a dodge.
There’s also his anti-zoning tool, which is his Down-B. It has the unique property of reflecting physical projectiles while absorbing energy-based ones. While the amount of energy projectiles he can absorb has a limit that builds up with each attack, he can unleash it all for a devastating attack on the opponent. The damage and launch power of this attack depends on the power of the projectiles absorbed, however.
Mr. Game & Watch’s Weaknesses
Some of his biggest weaknesses have to do with his moves, and the first is their short range. His attacks are often beaten out by other attacks, especially if they’re disjoints. There’s also the fact that some of his disjointed attacks are beaten out by other attacks as well, even if they’re not particularly powerful. There’s also the power on these moves. While he can rack up high damage with combos, he can have a hard time getting kills outside of advantage.
Mr. Game & Watch’s other issue is his weight. He is a very light character, among the lightest in the game even. While his small size can help avoid some attacks, any attacks that do land are very dangerous for him, since he can end up dying way sooner than his opponent. This isn’t helped by his aerial options being rather limited in terms of survivability.
Finally, there’s his Side-B. While it is a move that can kill opponents if he’s lucky (and kill them very early if he’s really lucky), the RNG of this move as well as the lag on it, can be as much of a danger to him as it is to his opponent. There’s even an outcome of the move where he gets damaged instead of his opponent; situations like this and more could make Mr. Game & Watch at risk of major damage if he uses it.
Strategy & Counterplay
Mr. Game & Watch will often try to smother you with his multi-hit moves, approaching with aerial attacks or a grab to get a combo started. Understanding how his moves work is a big part of dealing with this. Be prepared for the amount of hits his attacks do and where the hitboxes end on them, and do your best to not get grabbed at low percents. Alternatively, you can try to bait him as he approaches and punish him with an attack of your own when he misses.
Another thing you need to understand is his out-of-shield options and how he’ll use them against you. If you land on his shield with an attack, he’ll most likely use Up-B to get out of there and damage you for poor spacing. If you’re trying to pressure his shield, make sure to space your moves properly, so he can’t punish you for it. If he does try to escape the pressure by using Up-B anyway, keep the pressure on him in the air. That being said, make sure to watch out for his Down-Air, which he’ll try to cover his landing with. This move is powerful, but it’s laggy if he uses it low enough to land with it, so pay attention and watch out for that.
Finally, to deal with his ledge pressure, try to make it so you’re not on the ledge any longer than you need to be. Mr. Game & Watch’s Neutral-B is great for attacking opponents trying to recover, and if you stay offstage long enough to get hit by any of the projectiles, you’ll often receive a follow-up attack that can mean death. Try to mitigate your time on the ledge by mixing up when you get on it. On top of that, try to find the proper timing and ledge option at any moment to make sure the damage you receive is minimal.
Good & Bad Matchups
Mr. Game & Watch works well against characters with an exploitable disadvantage state. Characters that would be bad to use against him because of this include Little Mac, Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon, and Ganondorf. He’s also an excellent counter against characters with zoning tools, since his Down-B reflects or absorbs projectiles. Snake, Villager, Mega Man, Ness, and Piranha Plant will have a harder time beating him.
The better pick against him would be characters that he’ll struggle to hit, preferably fast characters or those with movement options. Consider using Sonic, Zero Suit Samus, Sheik, or Greninja. Another great pick, and definitely your best option, would be characters that outrange his normals with their own. These tend to be sword characters, so any of them will work as long as their attacks aren’t shorter than average. Think of using characters such as Lucina, Shulk, Corrin, Cloud, or Ike.
