Tilt Attacks
By AlphaZealot | Published: April 23, 2008 9:11pm EST
Tilt attacks are performed by tilting the control stick in a direction and pressing the A-button simultaneously.
Tilt Attack Abbreviations
Neutral Tilt: N-Tilt
Side Tilt: S-Tilt
Down Tilt: D-Tilt
Up Tilt: U-Tilt
Performing Tilt Attacks
N-Tilt: Press the A-button
S-Tilt: Gently tilt to the side on the control stick and press the A-button
D-Tilt: Gently tilt down on the control stick and press the A-button
U-Tilt: Gently tilt up on the control stick and press the A-button
Tilt attacks are great for racking up damage and keeping combinations going. Each character's tilt attacks have different range, damage, and properties, but most tilt attacks share some universal uses.
N-Tilts: The standard A-attack of most characters actually has three iterations which are all treated as separate attacks. This fact is important to keep in mind, because a person who spams all three iterations will not suffer the same generative damage and knock back associated with other attacks, as any single one of these attacks will usually not bottom out lower than 80% of its original damage when coupled with the other two iterations.
The first two iterations of the N-Tilt are usually quick jabs, with the third being the repetition of a quick attack. These quick jabs can be used to chip away at opponents' shields or to stun them during the start-up time of an attack or after you land from one of your own aerials. If your characters are right next to each other, performing all three iterations of the N-Tilt is usually a good idea and can lead to a free 20% on the opponent. If you are spaced even slightly, though, the first two iterations will usually knock the opponent too far away to land the third and attempting the third will leave you open to a counter attack.
Unlike Melee, you can now infinite the third iteration just by holding down the A button. With some characters, such as Pit, you’ll need to tap the A-button four times very fast instead of just the regular three to get to the third iteration to infinite. Pressing the A-button twice, followed by a direction on the C-stick and A again will also allow your character to infinite that third iteration.
S-Tilts: These tilt attacks are great for creating some breathing room with the opponent and are one of the more powerful tilt attacks with most characters. These quick, usually moderately strong attacks have great sending power, such as Diddy Kong’s F-Tilt, and range. At higher damage percentages, usually between 150-200%, S-Tilt attacks can even kill when near the edges, making them great for edge guarding and keeping pressure on an opponent hanging on the ledge, where you can S-Tilt a ledge hop or a roll with little worry of a counter attack. The S-Tilt is usually not very good for keeping combos going at moderate or high percentages, but at lower percentages the sending trajectory and knock back won’t be as drastic and rushing down the freshly hit opponent is still possible. Some characters, such as Sheik, have particularly useful S-Tilts that can be used for combos instead of killing, but she is more an exception than the rule.
In addition, some S-Tilts can be angled slightly. To do this, just input slightly more up or down when pressing to the side on the control stick. A good character in which to observe this trait is Captain Falcon.
D-Tilts: This tilt attack is great with most characters for poking. Poking is simply the process of keeping an opponent at bay with a ranged, safe attack, such as Marth’s D-Tilt, and can also sometimes be used for edge guarding. D-Tilt attacks usually send the opponent away from you, but some D-Tilts have an upwards sending angle, which allows for quick two-hit combos when coupled with an air attack. Rarely can D-Tilt attacks be used to kill an opponent and they usually serve as good combo starters if they knock the opponent upwards.
U-Tilts: This type of tilt attack can often keep a combo going and can also defend against incoming aerial attacks. The U-Tilt usually hits the opponent upwards at an angle that can easily be followed by an air attack, making it superb for creating openings for killing blows as well as general combo ability. That said, U-Tilts rarely have KO power and you’ll need to look elsewhere to eliminate an opponent over the top of the screen.
Many players find it difficult to perform the U-Tilt efficiently at first and often jump by mistake because of unfamiliarity with the sensitivity of the control stick. There are two remedies to this problem. The first is simply to practice, with time it will become natural and less difficult to perform. The second remedy is to go into the controller menu and set tap jumping to off.
Note #1: For more in-depth information on each character’s tilt attacks view the character-specific guides.
Note #2: Default control scheme using the GCN controller is assumed.
