Yoshi

Page 1
Background Info
Costumes
Moves List
-Weak Attacks
-Recovery Attacks
-Taunt
-Strong Attacks
-Running Attack
-Smash Attacks
-Throws
-Aerial Attacks
-Special Attacks





Background Info

Yoshi (or Yoshis, since there's more than one of them) is the friendly dinosaur who helped the Mario brothers on many of their adventures. The Mario brothers use Yoshi as a ride to quickly go from one place to another. Over time, Yoshi got his own video games. There are many varieties of Yoshis, but the one most people are familiar with is the green one.
In Smash, Yoshi retained many of abilities from his other games. He can jump really far, can swallow enemies, and use his eggs to attack. Yoshi is also pretty heavy which means it's a bit hard to knock him away. Unfortuately, Yoshi has a big disadvantage over most other characters: he doesn't have a third jump. He has to rely on his tremendous second jump to save himself.
Personal Stage: Yoshi's Island (Well, it is his island.)
Personal Symbol: An Yoshi egg
Entrance: An white and green egg drops from the sky and Yoshi pops out from the egg.
Character choosing: Yoshi cheers right and left, spins to his left once around and poses, yelling "Yoshi!"

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Costumes

C up: Normal green Yoshi with red shoes. This is the green team costume.
C left: Yellow Yoshi with green shoes.
C down: Blue Yoshi with purple shoes. This one is supposed to breathe ice or something. I haven't played Mario brothers for a long long time, so I'm not sure. This is the blue team costume.
C right: Red Yoshi with purple shoes. I heard from somewhere that this one breathes fire. Well it doesn't do it in Smash. This is the red team costume.

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Moves List

Weak Attack

Buttons: A, A
Damage: 3%+5%
KKT score: over 300%
Startup: Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Reach: Medium Short
Flight Path: Regular
Description: Yoshi kicks forward with his left foot, then with his right foot.
My Opinion: This is weak combo can't really do anything, unless you want to annoy people. Just for the curious, the second kick is a lot more powerful than the first kick.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5

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Recovery Attack 1

Buttons: When lying back to the floor, press A
Damage: 6%
KKT score: none, constant power
Startup: Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Regular
Description: Yoshi spins (head goes left first) while his back is still on the ground and sweeps around himself with his left foot before getting back up. Yoshi is invincible when he does this.
My Opinion: Not much to say about this really, since its your only attack option when lying on the floor facing up. Can get Yoshi back on offense if you manage to hit an opponent. Useful for clearing people who happen to stand too close for their own good.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Recovery Attack 2

Buttons: When lying face down on the floor, press A
Damage: 6%
KKT score: none, constant power
Startup: Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Regular
Description: Yoshi swings his head from left to right to get rid of anyone in front of him and then swings his tail left to right to get ride of anyone behind him before getting back his feet. Yoshi is invincible when he does this.
My Opinion: It's Yoshi's other recovery attack. It happen less often than the first recovery attack since most of the time victims of hard hits will lie face up.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Edge Attack 1

Buttons: When hanging on the edge with damage lower than 100%, press A
Damage: 6%
KKT score: none, constant power
Startup: Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Short
Description: Yoshi pulls himself up quickly and swipes at the enemies ankles with his tail from left to right before turning around and standing in ready position. Yoshi is invincible when he does this.
My Opinion: Edge attacks can save lives, if you can time them. This attack can get edge guarders out of the way and therefore save Yoshi from danger. Use it only if no one's around or the edge guarder is standing close to the edge. Experienced players will stand a bit away from the edge if you (as any character) manages to hang on to it, so you need to evaluate the situation before you use the edge attack.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Edge Attack 2

Buttons: When hanging on the edge with damage over 100%, press A
Damage: 6%
KKT score: none, constant power
Startup: Slow
Duration: Short
Recovery: Medium fast
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Regular
Description: Yoshi pulls himself slowly on to the stage, stands up and delivers a headbutt by swinging his head from left to right. Yoshi is invincible when he does this.
My Opinion: This is worse than the low damage edge attack, but better than nothing at all. Same guidelines as above.
Rating: 2 out of 5

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Taunt

Buttons: L when on the ground
Startup: Fast
Duration: Medium Long
Recovery: Fast
Description: Yoshi spins to left once around, and stops when facing his left. He will wave his arms and hop up and down while yelling "Yoshi!"
My Opinion: This taunt is pretty good. The sound is loud enough and the animation isn't too hard to see.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Forward Kick

Buttons: Tilt stick sideways + A on the ground. You can tilt the control stick slightly so that the kick angles a bit up or down.
Damage: 13%
KKT score: Star finish 139%
Startup: Medium Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Medium Fast
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Steep Diagonal
Description: Yoshi turns slightly to his left and kicks forward with his right foot.
My Opinion: Unlike other corresponding moves that has a regular flight path, this kick sends victims pretty high. You can set up a juggle for Yoshi with this, if the opponent's damage is high enough.
Rating: 3 out of 5

Forward Tail Sweep

Buttons: Tilt stick downward + A on the ground
Damage: 10%
KKT score: none, constant
Startup: Medium Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Medium Fast
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Flat
Description: Yoshi rotates to the left while crouching so his tail will spin around from the right to catch enemies in front of him at the ankles.
My Opinion: This is a weird move, since the power for the move doesn't increase as the damage on the target gets higher. This means the tail sweep won't be able to KO out right in most situations. This move is not completely useless. It's pretty fast so you can get rid of people in a hurry since it always sends people to a certain distance, no matter what damage they have, and this move can be used to edge guard. The edge guarding works best against people who don't have good third jumps, such as Link or Falcon. Knocking them a bit away from the edge with no altitude gain will screw them over.
Rating: 3 out of 5.

Snout Tap

Buttons: Tilt stick upward + A on the ground
Damage: 12%
KKT score: None, constant power
Startup: Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Medium fast
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Straight up or close to it
Description: Yoshi raises his snout upwards at a very fast speed to hit people above or in front of him, sending them up into the air. Kind of looks like a sea lion juggling a ball.
My Opinion: This move also has constant power, which is not necessarily a bad thing. This move can set up for an up smash. It send light character a bit too high so in those cases Yoshi should jump up and air juggle them. For heavy characters this will set them up perfectly for Yoshi's powerful upward headbutt.
Rating: 3 out of 5

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Battering Ram

Buttons: A while running
Damage: 12%
KKT score: 126%
Startup: Fast
Duration: Medium
Recovery: Medium Slow
Reach: Long
Flight Path: Regular
Description: Yoshi lowers his big head during his run and rams anybody who happens to be in front of him.
My Opinion: This is an okay running attack. The power is okay, and so is the speed. The recovery speed is a bit slow for my likings, but most running attacks don't have quick recovery times either. Running attacks have their uses.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Forward Headbutt

Buttons: Smash sideways + A while on the ground.
Damage: 18%
KKT score: 73%
Startup: Medium Slow
Duration: Medium Short
Recovery: Medium
Reach: Medium Long
Flight Path: Regular
Description: Yoshi rears his head back to the right and swings it forward with a lot of force. Way to use your head, Yoshi. He yells in the process too.
My Opinion: This is a decent smash attack. The power is about average among forward smashes, and the reach is pretty good, but the startup time is a bit slow, which means this smash is not very well suited to close combat. Timing is pretty important for this smash. Overall it will do its job, but just be aware that there is a lag time at startup.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Tail Whip

Buttons: Smash down + A while on the ground
Damage: 14%
KKT score: 83%
Startup: Medium Fast
Duration: Medium
Recovery: Medium
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Horizontal
Description: Yoshi yells and spins around to the left very quickly, whipping his tail in front and then behind him to hit enemies away.
My Opinion: This is another okay smash from Yoshi. The reach and speed is okay, but the smash isn't all that powerful and doesn't do a lot of damage. However, the tail whip does have a flat launch angle, which means victims will not gain much altitude from a hit, therefore making it more difficult for them to comeback. The reach is medium, but in close combat sometimes you'll find it a bit short (I do).
Rating: 4 out of 5

Vertical Headbutt / Flogg'n Nogg'n (The name of this smash in Smash Bros Melee for the Game Cube)

Buttons: Smash up + A while on the ground
Damage: 18%
KKT score: Sideway kill at 57% (45 degrees path), star finish at 76% (steep diagonal path)
Startup: Medium
Duration: Medium Short
Recovery: Medium
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Steep Diagonal (very close to vertical but not quite) or 45 degrees.
Description: Yoshi yells and pulls his big head back, and headbutts upwards and forward with tremendous force. The victim will fly close to vertically if hit by Yoshi's snout, or he/she will fly at 45 degrees if hit by the top of Yoshi's head.
My Opinion: This is the most powerful smash for killing enemies over the side boundary. It will send people quite far and also send them very high. It's not uncommon to star finish a victim with even the 45 degrees launch angle. This smash is that powerful, and it isn't too slow. To hit someone beside Yoshi, is better for Yoshi to have his back face the opponent since the reach behind Yoshi is longer than the reach in front. The up smash can be used to defend against air attacks, edge guard, and of course KO people. Yoshi can set a this smash up with his up strong or the down A air attack. The down A air then up smash combo is Yoshi's most lethal combo and will do tremendous of damage to an opponent.
Rating: 5 out of 5

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Lick 'n Spit

Buttons: Grab (press R or Z + A) while on the ground, then push stick forward, press A, press R, or wait for a few seconds.
Damage: 12%
KKT score: 111%
Startup: Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Reach (of Yoshi's grab): Medium Long
Flight Path: Regular
Description: Yoshi grabs the opponent with his extended sticky tongue and pulls the vicitm into his mouth. Yoshi then will spit the victim back out, causing the victim to fly away. This is one of Yoshi's original abilities in the Mario games.
My Opinion: This throw isn't all that good. It's a bit weak, and Yoshi's grab is a bit slow. I don't really like this throw, but if you want to chuck someone forward as Yoshi, this is the only choice you have. At least it looks pretty funny though, especially looking at Yoshi when he has DK in his mouth. Haha.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Backward Lick 'n Spit

Buttons: Grab (press R or Z+A) while on the ground, then push stick backward
Damage: 16%
KKT score: 86%
Startup: Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Reach (of Yoshi's grab): Medium Long
Flight Path: Regular
Description: This is the same as the forward throw, except this time Yoshi turns his head backwards to the left and spits the victim out in the other direction.
My Opinion: This is a bit better than the forward throw since it has better power and damage. Still, this throw is not all that good, and not really worth the risk of Yoshi's slow grab.
Rating: 4 out of 5

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Jump Kick

Buttons: A or R while in the air
Damage: 14%
KKT score: 104%
Startup: Fast
Duration: Medium
Recovery: Medium Slow
Reach: Short
Flight Path: Regular
Description: Yoshi yells and sticks his right foot forward a little bit to kick anyone in front of him.
My Opinion: This kick is an okay attack. Power and speed are pretty good, but the reach is a bit short. This move can damage people behind Yoshi but the forward reach is longer. If you want to knock someone in front of Yoshi away while in the air, this is the move to use.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Tomohawk Headbutt

Buttons: A or R + push stick forward in the air
Damage: 18%
KKT score: star finish at 129% if victim is on the ground. Can send people down at pretty low percentages.
Startup: Medium Fast
Duration: Medium Short
Recovery: Medium
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Straight down or close to it if opponent is in the air. Straight up if opponent is on the ground.
Description: Yoshi yells and does a forward somersault in the air and uses his head as a hammer during the somersault to send anyone in front him flying downwards.
My Opinion: This is Yoshi's spike move. It's my favourite spike in the whole game. It has more than enough power to send people down really fast, it's pretty fast for a spike, but the best thing about it is that Yoshi doesn't lose much altitude when doing this spike, and also that it hits people in front of Yoshi, like DK's send down move. Yoshi can be a pretty good spiker with this move.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Backward Jump Kick

Buttons: A or R + push stick backwards in the air
Damage: 16%
KKT score: 92%
Startup: Medium Fast
Duration: Medium Short
Recovery: Medium
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Regular
Description: Yoshi yells and turns to his left slightly and kicks backwards with both feet. Yoshi then does a forward somersault before he can do another move.
My Opinion: This move is pretty good air combat move. It is pretty fast, recovery isn't long, reach is not bad and the power is good too. Use it when someone is behind Yoshi.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Tail Flip

Buttons: A or R + push stick upwards in the air
Damage: 15%
KKT score: star finish at 106%
Startup: Medium Fast
Duration: Medium Short
Recovery: Medium
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Straight up
Description: Yoshi yells and somersaults in mid air, flipping his tail upwards to hit anyone above him, and completes the somersault. The backside of the tail goes up first.
My Opinion: This is a good juggling move. It is pretty fast and can send victims high into the air. With this move, Yoshi is a pretty good juggler in the air. It will score some KOs for Yoshi.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Flurry Kick

Buttons: A or R + push stick downwards in air
Damage: 4% times up to 14 hits
KKT score: none really, but is capable of spiking at high damages
Startup: Fast
Duration: Medium
Recovery: Medium
Reach: Medium
Flight Path: Straight down or very close to straight down when opponent is in the air and straight up if opponent is on the ground.
Description: Yoshi yells and looks like he is running in mid air. Anyone getting caught by the attack will get stepped upon many times and receive a lot of damage.
My Opinion: This is the most damaging move in the game. It has the potential to deliver up to 56% of damage in one attack. Of course, in most situations you'll never get all the hits, but even getting half of the hits would still deal close to 30% damage on opponents, which is pretty good. Other than just raising damage, this move can be used to set up Yoshi's powerful up smash to send people far far away. The flurry kick/up smash combo is a simple but lethal combo for Yoshi. This move is capable of spiking but Yoshi has a better send down in his forward air attack.
Rating: 5 ouf of 5

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Egg Lay

Buttons: Press B
Damage: 5%
KKT score: none, it has very little power. However it is possible to KO with this move.
Startup: Medium Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Medium Fast
Range: Medium Long
Flight Path: None really, but the victims come out behind Yoshi.
Description: Yoshi will extend his head forward, open his mouth and stick his tongue out to try to catch someone. If an opponent is caught, Yoshi will swallow the opponent and the opponent will come out of Yoshi's behind encased in an egg. The size of the egg depends on how large the opponent is. The opponent can control how the egg moves before it lands on the ground. The egg will hold the opponent for a minimum of about two seconds, allowing Yoshi and other people to give the egg a quick beat down. The encased victim will not fly away while in the egg and will only take half the damage of the attacks. The victim can mash buttons to get out more quickly.
My Opinion: This move is kind of useless, but it is amusing to watch. Imagine Yoshi eating Giant DK and lays him out as an egg. I don't know how that is physically possible, but since this is not a game concerned with realism, I won't complain. Against newbies, you can sometimes egg them off the edge for a cheap kill, but it rarely works against experienced players. The egg doesn't hold the victim long enough for Yoshi to deal much damage, and you can't knock people out while they are in egg form. You can use it to annoy people and hope that you'll score a surprise KO.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Egg Throw

Buttons: Push stick up + B. You can use the control stick to control how the egg flies, but the controls are rough at best. Tapping the control stick will result in a further throw than just tilting the stick.
Damage: 14%
KKT score: 181%
Duration: Short
Recovery: Medium
Range: Medium if you use the smash throw
Flight Path: Normal
Description: An egg will magically appear in Yoshi's right hand and he will throw it at an upward angle. The egg does will go up and then fall downwards a little in a curved trajectory. If it hits someone or is out of range, the egg will explode, damaging enemies around and sending them flying a little bit.
My Opinion: Instead of a recovery move, Yoshi gets an awkward projectile. This projectile is not useless. Unlike many other projectiles, Yoshi's egg can deal damage to more than one person, and this projectile doesn't of a line of sight trajectory (flying in a straight line). Instead the egg has a ballistic (curved) trajectory that enables Yoshi to hurl the egg over a small obstacle (a short wall) to hit the opponent on the other side. The controls for the throw is not that easy to use and you have to practice to get the right feel. Since this not a recovery move, Yoshi can do another air attack after this, or he can use his second jump if he hasn't already done so. Even though this move probably won't really kill anyone, but you know what, egging people is fun. I remember once I intercepted a Pikachu during a quick attack with the egg. That was so funny. The egg screwed up the recovery. I still would liked to have seen a recovery move though.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Ground Pound

Buttons: Push stick down + B
Damage: 18%. 4% for the little stars that come up when Yoshi hits the ground.
KKT score: star finish at 79%
Startup: Slow
Duration: Depends on when Yoshi hits the ground, gets hit out of it, or dies.
Recovery: Slow if Yoshi hits the ground.
Reach: Very Very Long (the distance from Yoshi to the ground below him)
Flight Path: Steep Diagonal
Description: One of Yoshi's original abilities, Yoshi will yell and hover in mid air for a short time, somersault forward, and fall down really fast with his butt pointing to the ground. Anyone hit by Yoshi will fly pretty high. If done on the ground, Yoshi will jump forward and pound the ground a bit in front of him. Two little stars appear beside Yoshi when he hits the ground and these stars can do damage.
My Opinion: This is a pretty good special move. It is quite powerful, and it has a lot of priority. It's best used if the target is in the air because the target can't block Yoshi's attack. The recovery is a bit slow though so Yoshi might get hit if he misses a target on the ground. Oh yeah, the move doesn't end until Yoshi lands, gets hit, or dies. This means if you ground pound over a pit, Yoshi is gone, so watch where Yoshi is when using this move. You can do the ground pound while Yoshi is on the ground to surprise people in front since most people will be expecting a ground pound from a Yoshi in the air, not one that is on the ground. If Yoshi gets hit out of this move, he will not have his second jump, so make sure it's Yoshi who is doing the hitting and not the one getting hit.
Rating: 4 out of 5.

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