Part 29

Learn Ivysaur's strengths, weaknesses, and moves in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Focus on its range, power, and abysmal recovery.

Ivysaur's primary role on the Pokemon Trainer's team is to provide good range and decent speed with great power. It shares similarities with Olimar, particularly in its abysmal recovery, which relies on a bad tether move for its triple jump, often leaving Ivysaur doomed over the ledge. Despite this, Ivysaur is a very strong Pokemon, second only to potentially Charizard for some players.

Ivysaur's ground attacks all possess great range. Its forward tilt is a spinning leaf attack that is safe and racks up damage when opponents are close. The up tilt sends Ivysaur upward, popping enemies into the air for follow-ups with its up aerial. The down tilt is a very long-range move that knocks enemies away and pokes under shields, useful for general harassment. Ivysaur's down smash hits on both sides with the range of its down tilt, acting as a deterrent against rolling opponents. While its forward smash has some KO potential, it suffers from range issues. The up smash is a ridiculously powerful kill move that should be abused heavily. Ivysaur's running attack also pops enemies up for potential up aerial follow-ups but has poor range and is easily punished, so it should not be used often. The jab combo requires commitment, but its first hit is a quick way to land a hit at range.

In the air, Ivysaur is incredible, boasting amazing killing power and range. Its back aerial hits a huge area behind Ivysaur, is fast, and has little landing lag, making short hop back aerials a safe and effective approach. The forward aerial has nice range but is slow and awkward, best used only when an opponent is directly in front of Ivysaur in the air. The up and down aerials possess ridiculous power, rivaling the up smash, and are incredible KO moves. They hit in their respective directions and are used for aerial KOs, but they are slow with substantial landing lag, similar to the up smash. However, they come out slightly faster than the up smash, making a short hopped up aerial a viable KO option in certain circumstances. The neutral aerial is a safety move that is usually pointless due to the effectiveness of the back aerial, but at very close range and low to the ground, it can lead into an air-to-ground combo.

Ivysaur's grab is slow, but it has solid range. Both its up and down throws can lead into its up aerial, and its back throw has KO power. Ivysaur also benefits from the perpetual threat of an up smash out of shield, making a shielding Ivysaur dangerous.

Ivysaur's useful special moves are primarily projectiles. Razor Leaf is a handy projectile that controls space in front of Ivysaur and travels through destructible terrain, useful for locking opponents down. Bullet Seed is difficult to hit with but does insane damage if an opponent is caught in it; it's best used by waiting for opponents to fall directly down rather than trying to combo into it. This move prevents opponents from attacking Ivysaur from directly above. Vine Whip is useless as an attack and should strictly be used for recovery, though it can be ruined like Olimar's Pikmin Chain. Players should aim to get onto the ledge as quickly as possible, as recovery is nearly impossible if the opponent reaches the ledge first.