There is yet another method that kind of builds on top of this, which is tilting your shield during shield stun, which imo is the superior method. Then you can angle your shield optimally for defense while on a platform, tilt all the way to a side during shield stun and drop through asap when you're out of shield stun.
My favorite "set up" is not described in this video. I just position my Control stick during the shieldstun of the attack of protecting against.. Of course, the attack needs a minimum of stun, but not too much. Also, if you "accidentally" power shield, then you might roll =/
wow this video is awesome! I'm new in the smash community and got so confused with all the possible ways to shielddrop and how it actually works, so i was so glad this video covered ALL the options and well explained too! :) GJ
I think your method of Shield+max Control Stick direction is actually still doing it preemptively; I think you're pressing the commands on the normal landing lag of 2-4 frames. Starting it from the ground should get a roll if you press them at the same time, iirc. Either way, this is a great resource; thanks for taking the time to put this up!
helpful! basically just setups for Axe's method, except more in depth LOL. Pretty sure axe does it this way too but just never got too far in depth about it xD
I'm getting better at shield dropping, but I do want to let it be heard that this isn't quite as consistent for me as you suggest. It works well, but the speed of the motion is still super important.
A trick I use to hit the raw angle/speed is imagine my control stick itself is doing the shield drop. If you move the control stick down at the same speed as the animated character does the shield drop, it'll work. kinda weird but yeah
This is also good because if you decide not to shield after you aerial, it sets up for an isai/shai drop nicely since you're already holding toward the side
Great video! Quick question: I noticed you were light-shielding most of the time. Does light-shielding make shield dropping easier, or is it better to use your full shield? I'm aware that after rolling, holding Z brings up a light shield, though I'm not sure if there's any particular difference with regards to shield dropping with light or full shield.
+john paul foronda Sorry, late reply, but he is light shielding because if he did a normal shield before landing he would airdodge before he touched the ground. The light shield is a good way to preemptively shield while not messing up your landing.
Wow thank you! I'm only seeing this comment now. A lot of changed, but this year I did get hired as an Instructor for a local University coincidentally enough. Thank you for this comment!
So i can perform any action and set-up my sheild drop, OR i can hold my shield and let my opponent hit it (like Gravy does), and getting hit is the setup i need to shield drop...hmm very interesting yes, quite.
I'm pretty sure it has to do with the speed you tilt the stick left/right. Kind of like after doing an up-tilt you can have the control stick all the way up without jumping. I would focus on learning the last method he mentioned- tilt stick all the way left/right at the same time or a split-second before shielding. Then input the slight down angle to shield drop.
At 1:19 he says: "shield, angle all the way left or all the way right, and go down 1 notch on the control stick". That's different than the technique described later in the video where he preemptively tilts the controlstick left/right before shielding. So... I still have the same question. Is there a way to tilt your controlstick all the way left/right when your shield is already up and not shield roll?
***** Ya it's possible, you do it more precisely like your doing a tilt move. I'm bad at explaining things but its sort of like after an up-tilt you can have the control stick all the way up without jumping. If you can shield DI then all your doing is moving your shield all the way to one side then and inputting the notch down.
the only problem with full tilt shield drop is that it can leave a hole on one side where you can get shield poked. particularly noticable when your shield isnt full or if your character has a poor shield?
Axel Morales and get shield broken by marths B in one hit, or get pushed way off the platform instead of shield dropping? havent seen any of the pros use that
Marth doesn't break the light shield on one hit. Leffen uses light shield sometimes. It's another option to be wary of. If you get knocked off the platform you can tech or simply land depending on the character.
When doing the Tilt Left/Right and then go down to the 45 degree notch sometimes I still spotdodge. Does this mean I just pushed the control stick slightly too far down? Also would you say its best to like hug the rim of the notches as you roll it down?
What are some situations that would require shield dropping? I'm a fairly new player so forgive me if this is an obvious question, I'm just having trouble understanding when this is appropriate to use.
this has helped me soooo much, however, i have noticed that when i do it to the right it is more difficult and i feel as though i'm doing the same process. Is it any more difficult that way or? I do it consistently to the left everytime but the other way i get spot dodge more unless i do the movement slowly rather than fast like i can do to the left.
So how should i go about this, if i have to block an attack coming from below the platform that may poke through my shield? How can i tilt the shield down to block, then shield drop off that?
You are still able to tilt your shield downwards (or anywhere else) to avoid the poke. When you get hit, you are able to input your stick back to the far left/right position during the shield stun so that the input isn't registered but you have your control stick positioned appropriately, and then you shield drop from there.
Don't. The raw angle is an incredibly precise spot on the controller that is incredibly difficult to even grind it out. But if you really want it, it is the vertical height of the second notch but in the middle of the controller and you have to move the joy stick so far or it won't pick it up.
This works flawlessly shield dropping to the right, but when doing it to the left there is a really annoying spot dodge problem and I have to do the motion a lot slower for it to work :( Any others had this issue?
thepieguy1 I found out how to make it work.I have to stop about a millimeter before the next notch down. Wish it would just work down to the notch, but at least I found somewhat of a solution
+Leroy Jenkins It's a light shield and you just have to barely press down on one of the shield buttons. Kind of like at optimal L-Cancel level of pressure.
victra u handsome kid you.... ill see you at evo nigga. Informative vid. Theres also another way to do it where you do a quick roll motion on the control stick and ending it in neutral position. The roll motion is crucial as it allows for higher chances for hitting that shield drop area.
what this guy fails to mention is that this is almost COMPLETELY dependent on your controller LOL you need to have a good enough controller that has its notches correctly lined up with the sd values, otherwise you just spot dodge again and again
10/10
Thanks Zhu! :)
How did that knee feel in your face Kappa
WOMBO COMBO!
This guy four stocked me in a falcon ditto at apex on fountain of dreams. Now I know why. Great vid.
If you got 4-stocked, it probably wasn't because of shield-dropping.
Batman well, i am also bad.
+zam626 the truth finally comes out
zam626 is that THE 226
it's because he had a captain falcon controller
Very well spoken and genuine commentary and explanations, really great man!
There is yet another method that kind of builds on top of this, which is tilting your shield during shield stun, which imo is the superior method. Then you can angle your shield optimally for defense while on a platform, tilt all the way to a side during shield stun and drop through asap when you're out of shield stun.
Every video advertises it makes it fast and easy but this video definitely delivered.
ive been doing dash drops for like a year now and i knew there had to be a better way. this has helped me so much thank you
This helped a lot to understand how shield drops work. An instant improvement for me. Thanks!!
My favorite "set up" is not described in this video. I just position my Control stick during the shieldstun of the attack of protecting against.. Of course, the attack needs a minimum of stun, but not too much.
Also, if you "accidentally" power shield, then you might roll =/
wow this video is awesome! I'm new in the smash community and got so confused with all the possible ways to shielddrop and how it actually works, so i was so glad this video covered ALL the options and well explained too! :) GJ
I was able to get consistent shield drops in 5 minutes or less. Thank you for making this!!!
Did not expect to find this getting back into melee. Right on bro!
I think your method of Shield+max Control Stick direction is actually still doing it preemptively; I think you're pressing the commands on the normal landing lag of 2-4 frames. Starting it from the ground should get a roll if you press them at the same time, iirc.
Either way, this is a great resource; thanks for taking the time to put this up!
Oooh I never thought of that or looked into any frame data of this. That totally makes sense!
Thank you thank you thank you!!!!! This video was so helpful!!!
helpful! basically just setups for Axe's method, except more in depth LOL. Pretty sure axe does it this way too but just never got too far in depth about it xD
literally learned how to shield drop in less than 10 min thanks to u :D u rock man!
I'm getting better at shield dropping, but I do want to let it be heard that this isn't quite as consistent for me as you suggest. It works well, but the speed of the motion is still super important.
THATS IT?!??!?!? THATS HOW EASY IT IS!?!?!??! IVE BEEN TRYING FOR A YEAR TO GET IT CONSISTANT AND WITH THIS METHOD ITS SO EASY WHAT THE HELL
thank you
This is literally the best video ever
A trick I use to hit the raw angle/speed is imagine my control stick itself is doing the shield drop. If you move the control stick down at the same speed as the animated character does the shield drop, it'll work. kinda weird but yeah
This is also good because if you decide not to shield after you aerial, it sets up for an isai/shai drop nicely since you're already holding toward the side
What a legendary video thanks SSBU
Great video! Quick question: I noticed you were light-shielding most of the time. Does light-shielding make shield dropping easier, or is it better to use your full shield? I'm aware that after rolling, holding Z brings up a light shield, though I'm not sure if there's any particular difference with regards to shield dropping with light or full shield.
+john paul foronda Sorry, late reply, but he is light shielding because if he did a normal shield before landing he would airdodge before he touched the ground. The light shield is a good way to preemptively shield while not messing up your landing.
You talk like a professor, you should teach a subject, great vid
Wow thank you! I'm only seeing this comment now. A lot of changed, but this year I did get hired as an Instructor for a local University coincidentally enough. Thank you for this comment!
So i can perform any action and set-up my sheild drop, OR i can hold my shield and let my opponent hit it (like Gravy does), and getting hit is the setup i need to shield drop...hmm very interesting yes, quite.
For axe's method, when you shield->tilt control stick all the way left/right, don't you just shield roll?
I'm pretty sure it has to do with the speed you tilt the stick left/right. Kind of like after doing an up-tilt you can have the control stick all the way up without jumping. I would focus on learning the last method he mentioned- tilt stick all the way left/right at the same time or a split-second before shielding. Then input the slight down angle to shield drop.
At 1:19 he says: "shield, angle all the way left or all the way right, and go down 1 notch on the control stick". That's different than the technique described later in the video where he preemptively tilts the controlstick left/right before shielding. So... I still have the same question. Is there a way to tilt your controlstick all the way left/right when your shield is already up and not shield roll?
***** He mentions this (axe's) technique again at 2:12 where he tilts the controlstick after he shields
***** Ya it's possible, you do it more precisely like your doing a tilt move. I'm bad at explaining things but its sort of like after an up-tilt you can have the control stick all the way up without jumping. If you can shield DI then all your doing is moving your shield all the way to one side then and inputting the notch down.
ahh that makes a lot more sense now. thank you!
Oh wow thanks dude I’ve been looking for a video like this for a whil
Extremely helpful video, really helped me out, thanks.
the only problem with full tilt shield drop is that it can leave a hole on one side where you can get shield poked. particularly noticable when your shield isnt full or if your character has a poor shield?
You could light shield with Z though.
Axel Morales and get shield broken by marths B in one hit, or get pushed way off the platform instead of shield dropping? havent seen any of the pros use that
Marth doesn't break the light shield on one hit. Leffen uses light shield sometimes. It's another option to be wary of. If you get knocked off the platform you can tech or simply land depending on the character.
i use light shield but it seems counter productive when you want to shield drop I guess
Yes, I just use it when l don't want to risk getting hit.
best shield drop video on youtube :D
You can also tilt during the waveland animation
I can do this on the left side almost every time, but when I do it on the right side, I just spot-dodge. Any help?
Irwin Longwood I have the same problem, but the other way around :/
When doing the Tilt Left/Right and then go down to the 45 degree notch sometimes I still spotdodge. Does this mean I just pushed the control stick slightly too far down? Also would you say its best to like hug the rim of the notches as you roll it down?
Very helpful video, thank you very much!
dashing cancels the buffer roll when you move the stick to the left or right?
What are some situations that would require shield dropping? I'm a fairly new player so forgive me if this is an obvious question, I'm just having trouble understanding when this is appropriate to use.
Great tutorial, thanks
With your method of tilting your shield, does that open you up to be more likely to be shield poked? Or does light shielding solve that?
this has helped me soooo much, however, i have noticed that when i do it to the right it is more difficult and i feel as though i'm doing the same process. Is it any more difficult that way or? I do it consistently to the left everytime but the other way i get spot dodge more unless i do the movement slowly rather than fast like i can do to the left.
So how should i go about this, if i have to block an attack coming from below the platform that may poke through my shield? How can i tilt the shield down to block, then shield drop off that?
You are still able to tilt your shield downwards (or anywhere else) to avoid the poke. When you get hit, you are able to input your stick back to the far left/right position during the shield stun so that the input isn't registered but you have your control stick positioned appropriately, and then you shield drop from there.
Ohhh, thanks!
I'm really feeling it!
Cool controller. Where did you get it painted?
What are the inputs after you tilt your shield to the side? I assume you push down with the control stick. Do you keep holding your shield down?
+Gabriel Reed Yes, hold your shield until the drop occurs. When you're tilted to the side, roll the control stick downward drop.
But in the "buffer" method you sacrifice the hability to angle your shield down am I right?
just make sure you buffer to the side u want to defend from
you can simply let go of your buffer to re-center and then position your shield as you like, although this does take time.
How do you tilt the stick without rolling while shielding?
do it slow or get the control stick in position *before* you press shield
Wait, there's a raw angle? I can probably grind that out. . .
Sini Star it depends a lot on controller
Don't. The raw angle is an incredibly precise spot on the controller that is incredibly difficult to even grind it out. But if you really want it, it is the vertical height of the second notch but in the middle of the controller and you have to move the joy stick so far or it won't pick it up.
The trick I find best for the raw angle is to be smooth with your input as jerking it is more risky
Thank you soooooo much for this!!! ^0^
This works flawlessly shield dropping to the right, but when doing it to the left there is a really annoying spot dodge problem and I have to do the motion a lot slower for it to work :( Any others had this issue?
your controller might not be good at doing it to the left you might need to at a notch on the left to help
thepieguy1 I found out how to make it work.I have to stop about a millimeter before the next notch down. Wish it would just work down to the notch, but at least I found somewhat of a solution
How the hell are you instantly pulling out z shield without throwing or attacking first?
+Leroy Jenkins It's a light shield and you just have to barely press down on one of the shield buttons. Kind of like at optimal L-Cancel level of pressure.
recoveredpixel Alright, thanks.
+Leroy Jenkins or hold a and press z
One word: A R D U I N O
Super Smash Bros University where you got that controller?
won't you roll of you move your stick all the way to the side?
Tilt it slowly and you won't roll. It will just angle your shield to the side.
Thanks for the vid!
Who wants to play my now unstoppable Falcon?
+OutofLives. I do. Netplay?
+ssbrosking36 Netplay suuucks.
+Adam Farmer only if your internet suuucks
+ssbrosking36 lets do it
+Simon K Nope, it's nowhere near as good as CRT + Wii/GC
How did Shield Dropping, become so popular?
helpful tutorial. thank you
Can you do this in PM?
Yes
THANK YOU SO MUCH
and lastly the absolute best way is to angle your shield during shield stun. That way you don't leave youself open and you can shield di optimally
isai dropping is a nice way to shield drop-
This method is only useful when you have a controller that can do it or reset your controller to be able to do so.
+MeleeMan How do you reset your controller for this method? I never heard of it before.
Hold X,Y,Start for 3 seconds with the control stick tilted opposite of how you want the neutral position to be.
GRACIAS AMIGO!
6 years later in 2021 people are still trying to learn melee (:
yo nilered plays smash!!? Jokes aside, good tutorial.
this video has 2015 likes and it was uploaded on 2015. Nothing wrong with it, just wanted to say it.
victra u handsome kid you.... ill see you at evo nigga.
Informative vid. Theres also another way to do it where you do a quick roll motion on the control stick and ending it in neutral position. The roll motion is crucial as it allows for higher chances for hitting that shield drop area.
If a good player sees your shield angled to one side, he will read the shield drop. Just practice the raw method.
Joshua Durham I mean, you could always read that they'll think that and not shield drop
Hi, Victor :>
Real men do shield drops raw kekeke
Alberta gang
Why was this video 5 years ago
Why was 5 years ago 5 years ago
I can shield drop in two ways, pretty consistently now.
But i don't 100% understand these steps =$
spooky
what this guy fails to mention is that this is almost COMPLETELY dependent on your controller LOL
you need to have a good enough controller that has its notches correctly lined up with the sd values, otherwise you just spot dodge again and again
Okeefeg Okeefeg unless you're using a ucf setup
sääänks!
Really quick. - 7 min. ...
siq
Shield dropping is for scrubs.