Super Smash Bros. has always been a game that had lots of attention on it. That attention became even greater due to the introduction of DLC to the franchise. This introduction dates all the way back to Smash 4, where a character would return to the series after being absent from the previous game — that character would be the legendary Pokémon Mewtwo.
Mewtwo has gone down on the tier list for many, thanks to his changes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. That being said, he’s still quite a tricky character to fight against. Read on to learn what he has up his sleeve, what holds him back, and the matchups you can play to win against him.
Mewtwo’s Strengths
Mewtwo’s greatest strengths are his range. His normal moves that make use of his tail, especially his aerials, have great range and are slightly disjointed. On the other hand, his smash attacks are disjointed as well, on top of being either safe on a shield or quick on startup. There’s also his throw; while the range is average, the dash grab has much more range. All of these moves are very powerful as well, some helping him take stocks very early. And that’s not to mention his Neutral-B, a chargeable projectile with great speed and power. His kill potential is heightened by his other specials, with Down-B being able to render grounded characters dazed and Side-B acting as a command grab and high-percentage combo starter.
This range and kill power are most helpful when he’s offstage, allowing him to edgeguard opponents really well. His aerials work great for this, as well as his Neutral-B, which helps him control space and pressure his opponents into using their options. What makes his tools really effective for edgeguarding is his aerial mobility. His second jump is the highest in the game, and his movement is very floaty, thanks to his low gravity. He can also affect his movement and positioning with his specials, allowing him more versatility when edgeguarding. These same attributes mean he can recover to the stage very easily, especially with his Up-B being a teleport with great distance, speed, and intangibility on it.
Mewtwo’s Weaknesses
Mewtwo’s biggest weakness is his lack of endurance. Despite his amazing damage output, he’s a lightweight character, meaning he can lose his stock much easier than most characters. This is awful for him due to two reasons, the first being his tall frame making him easier to hit as it is. The second and most infamous reason is his tail hurtbox. Despite the range and disjoint his tail has, there’s also a hurtbox on the tail that extends as he attacks with it. This leads to some very early and janky deaths from him, and it’s the main reason why he’s dropped in viability in the eyes of many players.
Thanks to his floatiness and low gravity, Mewtwo has a hard time getting back on the ground. His floaty double jump is a part of this problem, with it taking him so long to get up in the air. His aerials are also to blame, with his NAir and FAir being very short in terms of disjointed range. His other aerials have better range, but they’re burdened with the downside of extending his hurtbox or being easy to react to.
Strategy & Counterplay
Mewtwo’s most important move is his Neutral-B — each stage of Shadow Ball has its purpose. He’ll use the uncharged version for zoning, covering his approach and stage control. For this, keep your answers to them varied. Shielding, dodging, and jumping are all fine, but they’re easily punishable if you use any of them too often (some characters can attack through the projectiles as well). The charged one has much more utility, such as early combos, shield damage/pressure, ledgetrapping, kills, and more. It’s just something you’ll need to be careful against if Mewtwo has one on hand. Defense is usually your best option against it, but don’t shield if he happens to be close.
Mewtwo’s moves have great range, but his approach options are an exception. This is because both his FAir and NAir are very small disjoints. It would be beneficial to bait him into approaching and punish him accordingly. This can be done with either an attack with a better range or a quick anti-air tool. Chances are you may have to deal with this along with the Neutral-B, but in that case, just follow the previous tip of being unpredictable with how you handle them.
Try to keep Mewtwo in the air when you manage to juggle him. Since he’s such a large character and his jump is really floaty, his escape options are very limited, and he’s susceptible to getting hit really easily. The only things you’ll need to look out for are him attacking when he gets close to the ground or him using his Up-B to quickly escape. That being said, places he can use the Up-B can be limited depending on where pressure is being applied, so keep that in mind.
Good/Bad Matchups
Mewtwo performs really well against characters with bad recoveries. This includes Simon, King K. Rool, Bowser Jr., Ice Climbers, and Ridley. He also does better against slower characters since they have a harder time dealing with his zoning. Characters like Incineroar, Robin, Jigglypuff, Kirby, and King Dedede aren’t the best for fighting him.
Mewtwo has a harder time with characters that are good at recovering to the stage. This includes characters with either quick recovery options or recovery options that are especially dangerous for them. This would be Wolf, Fox, Pokémon Trainer, Steve, and Sephiroth. Other characters that beat him are those that can deal with his zoning tools and those that have a better aerial games than he does. Characters like Falco, Palutena, Shulk, Mr. Game and Watch, and Pyra/Mythra are good choices.
