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Overview
Pogo is a tech chase option that aims to give the player more options to cover tech rolls. Pogo utilizes a setup to land characters' second footstool to gain access to new combo routes/positioning that are not as apparent in an ordinary interaction. This tech can be applied universally but, results will vary based on the character you are playing, and the character the opponent is playing.
This guide should help familiarize you with the following things:
- Learn how to Perform a Pogo
- Applications of This Tech
- Specific Character Examples
Pogo Execution
The main idea of starting a Pogo extension is finding a reliable method to footstool your opponent in the air. Notable examples of character specific moves include Donkey Kong Down Special and Wario Nair. Once the opponent has been footstooled, it is important to keep track of their tech option. Once you see the direction that they are rolling, immediately fast fall and drift toward the opponent and land the second footstool. This itself ends the concept of pogo.
To recap:
- Position the opponent into the air
- Footstool the opponent
- Read the opponent's tech roll direction
- Footstool the opponent again
In the following video DK utilizes Pogo to position himself on the platform, confirming into a grab off of his dair. Following these steps:
- Prop the Opponent into the Air with a Move
- Footstool
- Footstool their Tech Roll
- Appropriate Combo/String Extender
This method takes advantage of Beefy Smash Doods Ledge Mixup and aims to cover the opponent's option to jump from ledge. The following sequence is conducted:
- Run off Ledge to bait Ledge Jump
- Footstool their Ledge Jump
- Footstool Tech Roll
- Appropriate Combo/String Extender
Why Pogo in the First Place?
Pogo itself may seem rather unconventional at first. An individual can argue that there are other options that a character could do instead of a footstool and be more effective. While this argument holds some truth, Pogo provides utility that cannot be found by other conventional methods.
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Fig. 1. Regular footstool yields no follow-up. -
Fig. 2. Pogo - aerial allows more options out of a footstool setup.
The first notable gimmick of this setup is taking advantage of the height the second footstool sends you. Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2, this displacement allows characters to perform new follow-ups out of a footstool. For reference, out of a regular footstool, DK can only hit eight characters with Down Air. With Pogo, this number changes to eighty.
Positioning
Pogo can benefit characters who prefer to kill vertically but lack the tools to do so effectively. In Examples 1 and 2, Donkey Kong utilizes Pogo to not only Down Air the opponent, but position himself on the top platform as well. This platform positioning is crucial for his grab confirms. PDKO is used in both clips, but other options such as aDKO ('Ding Dong') can be utilized as well.
Other Character Examples
Falcon
A flashy example of how Pogo can be used with falcon, thanks to Grace and Glory. Pogo lets Falcon act on the Smashville platform after performing a dair, offering a unique combo extensions that are not usually accessible.
Written by Toasty