SSBU/Meta Knight/Combos

Combos

General Notes

Because Smash Ultimate's combos are very freeform, the following strings aren't full combos (unless stated otherwise). Think of a Smash combo as a LEGO building, in which you assemble different strings of moves in order to achieve a big combo.

Combo Theory

Common combo starters

Fair 1 > Will combo into basically anything you could ever want; Uair, Dair, Bair, Shuttle Loop, a raise at your job, etc.

Nair > Dash Attack or Grab

Rising Bair (land ASAP) > Dash Attack

Fast Fall Bair > Jablock

Up Air > More Uairs or a finisher (Ladders 101)

Dash Attack > Dash Attack or Nair or Uair or Bair or Shuttle Loop

Down throw > Dash Attack or Nair or Usmash or Bair or Uair

Back Throw > Dash Attack

Down Tilt > Trip (50% trip chance, doesn't combo otherwise)

Up Tilt > Uair (This move doesn't normally combo, but I have a handful of times)

When starting a combo with Dash Attack, try to hit the tipper hitbox. It sends almost directly upward, making it the easiest and most reliable way to start a ladder combo. The next best Dash Attack hitbox is the closest hitbox to MK. This one sends the most outward.

Meta Knight struggles with fast fallers as they are susceptible to falling out of ladders and like combos.

Up Air doesn't combo into itself until about 12%.

Low Percents

Moves that combo into a ladder:

Down Throw

Dash Attack

Falling Nair, Fair 1, Down Throw (on DI in and on fast fallers), and Bair will combo into Dash Attack.

Falling Nair will combo into a grab.

Off of Dthrow, you can use a Bair or a delayed Nair to then combo into Dash Attack.

Given all this, you can use Falling Nair, Fair 1, Bair, Dash Attack, or Down Throw to start a combo that will at some point become a ladder.

Other combos

Dash Attack > Up Smash

Down Throw > Up Smash

Dragdown Bair > Jablock > Down Smash, Dair, Shuttle Loop, or Dash Attack

Mid Percents

Meta Knight's ladder combos will also work at lower-mid percents. At this range, you will have to immediately follow up the Dash Attack with the ladder. Dash Attack is your only real combo starter at this percent for ladders.

Fair 1 > Anything is true at any percent

High Percents / Kill Confirms

Fair 1 > Shuttle Loop or Bair

Dtilt > Down Smash (Only true if they don't tech or tech in place)

Juggling

Juggling with Meta Knight is normally hitting a rising up air or fast fall up air to then combo into a ladder. Starting a ladder with an up air at a mid percent or high percent could result in a stock taken if finished with a strong enough finisher.

Edgeguard

Meta Knight is one of the best characters in the game when it comes to edge guarding. He has 4 different options, depending on the situation.

Nair

Nair is a long lasting, strong aerial. It is the most versatile as it can be used in almost any scenario. However, there are normally better options as the move is not disjointed, and it puts MK in 23 frames of endlag. On the first two frames of the move, the hitbox is bigger and stronger. This move will kill relatively early when hit this way. The next 12 frames have a smaller and weaker hitbox, but the length of it can catch people off guard.

Dair

Dair is a fast, disjointed aerial. When edge guarding with Dair, he is able to use roughly two per second and can stay above the opponent the entire time as to not commit until necessary.

When using this move, note the percent of the opponent. If you are able to combo Dair into either another Dair or into Bair, make sure to face the stage. The back hitbox is the only hitbox that sends the opponent behind MK, and Bair is a stronger finisher than Fair.

If the opponent can't be combo'd out of a Dair, make sure to face towards the opponent. The middle hitbox sends at a lower angle than either of the other two hitboxes, making it easier to edge guard with.

Bair

Bair is MK's strongest aerial. The drawback to this aerial is the large amount of endlag (30 frames) and the fact that it is a multi-hit. If the first hit of the move trades with the opponent, it will send them downwards with a decent amount of lag, but usually not enough to warrant a trade. This move should only be used if Dair won't combo and Nair is too risky.

Mach Tornado

Mach Tornado is similar to Nair in that it is one long lasting hitbox. The move comes out on frame 12, twice as slow as Nair. This means that you cannot use this move against recoveries with disjoints, because if used to soon, the Nado hitbox will be too small, and if used to late, it won't come out in time. This move is typically used to edge guard teleport recoveries at ledge.

Ledgetrap

Meta Knight doesn't have any fancy tech for ledgetrapping. It is normally best to just sit at roll distance and react to whatever option they choose.

There is a unique tech involving Drill Rush that could be considered Edge guarding or Ledge trapping. You can position the drill over the ledge to actively two-frame opponents. See Drill Rush Info in the Meta Knight Tech section. https://dragdown.wiki/wiki/SSBU/Meta_Knight/Techniques