Getting the Knock Out
By AlphaZealot | Published: July 9, 2008 8:10pm EST
 KO’ing the opponent will prove to be your most difficult task with Diddy Kong. He can rack up damage easier than almost any other character, but on most stages and against most opponents, the earliest you will be able to score a knock out is around 150%. Regardless of whether or not you win, expect to deal at least 100% more damage in a given match with Diddy Kong, for this reason, finding ways to get KO’s quickly and efficiently is vital. Diddy Kong’s three strongest KO moves, in order, are his S-Smash, D-Smash, and F-Air. The best way to land one of the smash attacks is by glide tossing a banana. If you overlap with the opponent during the glide toss, and the opponent is hit by the banana, then the Smash attacks are automatic hits that cannot be avoided. This effectively makes the range of Diddy Kong’s Smash attacks as long as his glide toss, assuming the banana connects. Both smash attacks can also be used directly out of a dash attack effectively. In addition to this, Diddy Kong effectively has three downward hitting moves that can be used to kill opponents at low percentages when they are off the edge. The first and primary move is the D-Air. There is some start up time for the attack, so know that you will have to be able to predict both where you and the opponent will be in space before it connects. Experienced opponents will rarely succumb to the D-Air because the move is usually easy to see coming. However, there are ways to mask your intention of using the move, one of which is RARing off the stage and performing a B-Air before the D-Air. Another technique is wall clinging and then jumping out and performing the D-Air. Finally, some recoveries, like King DeDeDe’s, Snake’s, or Lucario’s, can be hit with the attack. The second most useful downward hitting move is Diddy’s Up-B attack. Diddy Kong’s barrels, when they go off, propel him upward. Conversely, an opponent who is caught beneath the barrels will be propelled downward. Making the attack even more dangerous is it can be charged and be held relatively stationary in an area the opponent will soon enter. Learning the timing and hit-box of the barrels is crucial. The biggest downside for using this method to try and KO an opponent is that it is highly risky, if Diddy is hit the barrels will discharge and you will have to wait a few moments before attempting to use the Up-B again. The final way to score early KO's is with Diddy's Side-B. The Side-B can grab onto an opponent, during which you can hold onto them for a brief moment. By hitting A, Diddy will attack and then jump high into the air, while the opponent is simultaneously sent downward, similar to a footstool jump. Diddy cannot Up-B after attacking, so save your jump if you perform this action. By pressing up on the control stick or the X or Y-buttons, Diddy will get a little bit more of a boost and go almost directly upwards after jumping off the opponents head. After performing this maneuver Diddy can still use his Up-B. One way to make this tactic more effective is by attempting to come at the opponent from the side moving into the stage, from here, you can attempt to stage spike them. The problem with this maneuver is that being hit into the stage can be wall teched, but if you catch them off guard the KO is almost guaranteed. Learning to score KO’s with Diddy is a lengthy process, but focusing on the three attacks outlined earlier should help alleviate some of the frustration. Additionally, always look for a chance to get a lower than normal percentage KO. If you manage to KO an opponent at 50%, instead of 150%, then you have just saved yourself a significant amount of work and time. A single low percentage KO is all Diddy needs to effectively hold the advantage in a match up. Always remember not to be too risky, a suicide means the work on the remaining stocks increases drastically. In a 3 stock match, Diddy should be able to output about 150% for each of his stocks. If you suicide once, that output, per stock, will likely have to increase to around 225% in order to make up the difference. If the opponent suicides, the amount of damage per stock that Diddy will have to output is dropped to around 100% per stock. Damage per Stock Example Diddy: 3 stocks Opponent: 2 stocks Damage still required: 300% Damage per each of Diddy’s stock: 100% Diddy: 2 stocks Opponent: 3 stocks Damage still required: 450% Damage per each of Diddy’s stock: 225% |
