Learn to Punish Cloud’s Up Special in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Cloud’s up special in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U isn’t the easiest attack to deal with. When making his return to the stage from a high altitude, if circumstances align, it seems nearly impossible to stop the swordsman from safely returning to solid ground–at least it used to. Panda Global’s ESAM recently hit the lab and figured out a method to put a stop to Cloud players who use this attack carelessly.

By power shielding the move’s hitbox, a number of characters can strike Cloud before he’s able to grab the ledge. While the punishes available often involve jabs, they leave Cloud in a hugely disadvantageous situation, and may wind up costing him a stock for his efforts.

This tactic does require nearly pristine execution to pull off, as the window to punish Cloud before he snaps to the ledge is quite small. Even so, this stands to change the way we look at the Cloud matchup and is definitely worth learning.

Source: ESAM