Palutena
How to play
Interrupt your opponent’s combos with Autoreticle and poke them from afar with Explosive Flame. Try to negate as much physical/range damage with Reflect, then dash towards your foe and toss them into the sky with an upwards throw.
Good for
Palutena’s has a very potent aerial game thanks to her high mobility and has some nice range on her smash attacks. She also does decent damage at range.
Weak at
Securing a KO can be a little tricky for Palutena as her smash attacks have a lot of windup lag, making them particularly easy to dodge.
Pac Man
How to play
Throw down Pac Man’s Fire Hydrant to begin pushing away nearby fighters, and then begin hurling items at them with Bonus Fruit. Try to launch the Fire Hydrant towards your foe to deal some decent knockback damage before it despawns.
Good for
Pac-Man's strengths lie in his excellent zone control. He can effectively camp ledges with his Fire Hydrant and item spam from Bonus Fruit, Pac-Jump offers plenty of opportunities to spike airborne enemies.
Weak at
There isn’t a whole lot of KO potential for Pac Man as the majority of his heavy hitting attacks are very sluggish. When you factor this in with his poor mobility, you have a fighter who struggles to contend with those at the top.
Robin
How to play
Zone your enemies with a mixture of electrifying thunder and explosive fire spells before dicing them up with your Levin Sword. Remember to top up your health with Nosferatu whenever you find yourself running low.
Good for
Robin's spells give him tremendous amounts of utility that synergise incredibly well with his Levin Sword aerials and smash attacks.
Weak at
Robin pays dearly for his utility and is burdened with incredibly low movement speed. To make matters worse, the durability mechanic of his tomes also greatly diminishes his damage output.
Shulk
How to play
Switch between Shulk’s five modes—Jump, Speed, Shield, Buster and Smash to change his abilities for a short time. Throw your opponent off-guard with some speedy neutrals before using Monado Arts to deliver an even deadlier Back Slash.
Good for
Shulk is great at adapting to various situations on the fly thanks to his Monado Arts. These game-changing buffs allow him to spar with a wide variety of characters, making him incredibly difficult to deal with.
Weak at
While Shulk’s Monado Arts give him great adaptability, they do require a certain level of player management. The duration of each art is considerably shorter and now features a larger cooldown than its previous iteration.
Bowser Jr.
How to play
Pressure your opponent with Mechakoopa and Clown Cannon – this will force either a shield or dodge that you can exploit with Clown Kart Dash. Once up close, unleash a few neutrals and begin your aerial assault.
Good for
Bowser Jr. has a fairly versatile kit that gives him decent zone control, aerial mobility, safe engage distances and plenty of KO opportunities.
Weak at
Despite his abundant strengths, Bowser Jr. is hampered by his sluggish movement speed and is often forced to rely on Clown Kart Dash to catch faster foes.
Duck Hunt
How to play
Barrage your foes with a constant stream of exploding cans and clay pigeons until they collapse in a frustrated heap. Whenever they get close, simply use Duck jump to fly away to safety and begin your assault once again.
Good for
Duck Hunt is incredibly good at tilting his opponent, causing them to make mistakes out of pure frustration. This dastardly dog excels at creating huge amounts ranged pressure.
Weak at
Duck Hunt may be able to rack up the damage numbers on his opponent, but his smash attacks are very unreliable and often lack the damage needed to effectively knock them out.
Ryu / Ken
How to play
Execute more powerful variations of Ryu’s moves by using the original Street Fighter command inputs for each attack. These can take a little while to get used to, but the extra damage makes it worth it. Break combos with Shoryuken and use your deadly smash attacks to send pummel your foe into the ground.
Good for
Ryu has decent all-round damage and speed that allows him to get into the thick of the fight, while Focus Attack and Shoryuken give him decent defensive options.
Weak at
While his ground attacks prove effective, Ryu’s aerial can be quite lacklustre thanks to many of his average air speed. Hadoken’s slow projectile speed can also be easily dodged, offering little use at range.
Cloud
How to play
Use your down special to start charging your Limit Gauge. Once charged, you’ll be able to unleash a strengthened special move and receive an increase in your mobility. Use Cloud’s Buster Sword to deliver massive ranged blows.
Good for
Cloud has one of the best melee reaches in the entire game and he can hit foes from a safe distance, giving him great defensive options. Cross Slash gives him some nice combo options and can lead to decent KO opportunities when synergised with his beefy smash attacks. His aerial game is also fantastic thanks to his high mobility.
Weak at
The Final Fantasy VII protagonist may seem unbeatable in most situations, but his lack of recovery can lead to some very quick deaths when launched off-stage.
Corrin
How to play
Corrin is another melee class who has decent range with his sword attacks. Keep your foes at bay with the incredible reach from his forward smash and follow it up with a deadly Dragon Lunge. When things get heated be ready to launch a counter-attack with a well-timed Counter Surge.
Good at
Corrin’s overall range is arguably his strongest point as many of his smash attacks are easy to land, while his grabs also synergise well with his strong aerial game.
Weak at
His survivability drops considerably when faced with foes who manage to get close enough to him, as the majority of his attacks don’t favour close quarters engagements.
Bayonetta
How to play
Use Bayonetta’s Heel Slide to engage your enemy and deliver crushing blows with her gigantic smash attacks. When your opponent tries to fight back, simply use Witch Time to halt their advance and deliver a punishing combo.
Good at
Bayonetta’s combo game is huge thanks to the overall synergy each attack has with her special moves. For example, she can use Witch Time to punish enemy mistakes and deliver a powerful blow from one of her large smash attacks. Bullet Climax also gives her decent ranged poke, making her effective across a variety of distances.
Weak at
Nerfs to Witch Twist and After Burner Kick has reigned in the Umbran Witch’s KO potential, giving her fewer options when trying to deal with particularly troublesome foes.
