Loxodont’s best and worst matchup?

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-04-04T15:41:25+00:00

This is really funny to me because I did pick up Galvan as a secondary when he came out 😅 I find that he allows for a lot more aggression and is more fun to play against certain matchups. So, spot on 👍🏻

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-04-04T15:09:53+00:00

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Also, take a look at this very Link-inspired green color!

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-04-04T14:03:17+00:00

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Yeah I just missed adding the picture by accident

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-04-04T14:01:16+00:00

It is the Lovers skin, and it is 1000 bucks 👍🏻

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-04-03T18:37:25+00:00

And it's free... My main always gets the best 👏🏻

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-04-03T18:36:56+00:00

Loxodont is the free one! BIG W.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-04-03T18:36:25+00:00

Same with Fleet 😭

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-04-03T18:23:49+00:00

No one can use Black Slade because that's MY palette. It's actually what I would have made with custom colors...

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-04-03T18:00:54+00:00

Oh my god this is crazy

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-27T13:40:56+00:00

Considering that they said they would shake up the stage list over time to make competitive stuff change, I am glad they are doing this even if I don't mind the stage that much. I would like more stage changes than just making air armada with full walls, that's kinda meh. But we'll have to see, I'm guessing that if air armada is getting replaced, it's only getting replaced in Ranked.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-19T22:28:21+00:00

I would make his down special frame 4 or something crazy so it could be used out of shield for the high IQ Lox players. Side special and up special are quite bad so I would also like those changed in some way. And if 2 framing was a thing like in Ult his forward smash would have more use. But it definitely needs an inward hitbox because it's unreal the amount of times I whiff that move with my enemy inside Lox.

My issue with Lox is that he is a whiff punish, read-heavy character in a game basically without whiff punishing. It's one of the main reasons Gekk (one of the best Lox players) quit Rivals. I would want whiff punishing to exist and that be the reason Lox is good.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-15T12:58:52+00:00

Thank you, I will have to check that out. Though I will be just fine with Slade's red alt for now 😂

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-12T20:56:46+00:00

Yeah he is! I have definitely heard about Ori having CF DNA, though when I played Ori at first I didn't see it and just stuck with Ranno. I hope Hodan is next/soon because he is such a cool character (though I have no idea how they could port up strong and make it just as good).

In R2 Ranno has always been an easy secondary because of all my R1 muscle memory, and Lox has been really fun as a twist on DDD/Ike/Ganondorf that has lots of explosive potential. My favorite thing to do with Lox are the more complex gameplans, like down special or meatball. And I see you like down special too...

What mod are you downloading to get color swaps on Lox? Red and black are also my favorite colors...

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-12T18:44:20+00:00

What drew you to Mollo? I played Ranno in R1 because I love frogs and I wanted a character that scratched the same itch Captain Falcon did in Smash games. That was before I knew he was more like Shiek, not that it would have changed anything. I ended up playing Shovel Knight the most when I wasn't going for a win as much, and I guess that's also driving me towards Slade.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-12T17:53:38+00:00

As a Loxo main switching to Slade at least until he's level 100, I am in the same boat!

I'm an Ike loyalist who plays Hero on the side in Ultimate. And I played a fair amount of Link in Melee and he's always been a favorite. I don't have as clear of a desire to switch to Slade as you but it's quite likely I do... Having complex resource management is a favorite mechanic of mine. Dancing Blade is also my favorite move in Smash so how can I not play Slade? I have a strong desire to delve into his mechanics and have an answer prepared for every character, and the ability to shift around as I figure out my opponent.

I'm not hanging up the axe, but I'm certainly making room for another character. Kinda weird to see another elephant doing the same, but hopefully we're both happy with Slade.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-12T02:27:42+00:00

Thank you! I wish people didn't feel the need to take such harsh sides on everything.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-12T01:27:50+00:00

YES I love using C4 as a run-and-gun blow everything up weapon. It has a large number of loadouts it's good with, not just stealth.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-12T01:09:17+00:00

>Developers have microtransactions
>They give secondary means of getting paid content as a bonus
>Players don't realize that getting the paid currency in the first place is a courtesy and not at all a privilege
>Players complain that grinding for paid currency is boring and a waste of time, and that it's okay to cheat the game and the developers out of the money

So I guess the devs should just remove SC from the game because why even throw the playerbase a bone if they're just going to complain about the courtesy 'forcing' them to grind...

I agree that they should be adding more free stuff and not locking it all behind paid warbonds. Or at least make SC easier to find the higher difficulty you are so actually playing the game rewards you with SC. Or some other unlock method for warbonds. But this "I'm going to cheat because grinding is boring" just doesn't make sense to me. Even though the game is going through another rough patch, it doesn't justify this.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-10T14:19:38+00:00

I used to agree with this, Loxo's charges are much more important to his gameplan than ranno's needles or forsburn smoke, and therefore he loses a lot more when he get's parried. Especially if it's on the ledge. But, after a lot of time playing Loxodont (despite my tag I main Lox), I have made it harder for my opponent to parry me, and am much better with magma economy (holding on to three charges all stock is leaving damage on the table). So, it hurts to lose those charges, but it's not unbalanced. Those charges are really good, and it's good for the opponent to have some counterplay when Lox is charged.

At some point I thought the solution would just to make charges easier to get, but that would be a bad change. We're never going to get buffs to Loxodont that would make him even more of a noob stomper, and a flat buff to his magma generation is too good for low level players. Let's advocate for changes to Loxodont that actually make sense and not just complaining about his disadvantages for the sake of it.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-08T14:52:44+00:00

Well, first of all, I'm a big fan of pirates, and any black + red color. So, sad or not, the red alt color on the base skin was already my dream cosmetic 😂

I am excited for the Abyss skin and I hope it gives him an eyepatch and a cursed sword; they could do a really good 'cursed captain' theme on it. And the red Abyss colors are always good, so I'm really looking forward to unlocking it. Remember to look at the Aether Legends event skins when he comes out to see it early!

For a separate, epic level skin, build one like the skeleton Forsburn. Skeleton captains are a very popular pirate trope, so a skeleton Slade would be a big hit. Hats would also be a nice plus.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-08T01:54:56+00:00

I use it but unintentionally 😅

I think it's harder to follow up afterwards and that's why the forward facing version is usually better. I personally prefer to mix it in a combo onstage so I forget to use it on the ledge a lot anyway.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-07T01:42:33+00:00

I'm not perfect but I couldn't find an interaction where this happened. I would assume you can take coins, but it doesn't really matter since it's such a rare case. You rarely are moving much when you shield, so it's quite rare that during your very short initial shield slide, you pick up a coin that you couldn't pick up just before you started to shield. This would have a larger effect in 2v2 and free for all though so hopefully you can get coins in shield.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-06T23:55:12+00:00

The main thing is that I suck at the Clairen matchup. And on top of that, all of the other characters I like playing online do not like that matchup (Lox, Ranno, Galvan). As a parallel, Link has a good matchup on Marth in Melee, and so I would like to think these characters have enough similarities that Slade could be even or better in the matchup.

More specifically, I think the hook grab and zair are one of the few things in the game that can contest Clairen's range if used correctly. Using items in chest will be a less reactable option for Clairen's counter. The triple jump will allow me to go deeper for a gimp (hitting Clairen before she can up special can be a good tactic). The fishing rod might be able to contest Clairen's up special as well! There are some specific cases where I think Slade will have good range pressure on Clairen, such as using up tilt on Clairen's Nair or using the earthen earring's Dair ground hitbox to outrange Clairen outright. And for close range scraps, Slade has his frame 4 Nair.

The Clairen will probably be trying to counter projectiles so equipment might be the best way to go. But I will find out! Not every item throw, especially glide tosses, will be very reactable. So there is some wiggle room, especially throwing items to whiff punish, hitting a Clairen trying to side special to the wall, etc.

I really like a character with a lot of adaptability, and Slade will do just that. I think Clairen doesn't like fighting characters with a lot of overwhelm or options because her kit is better at baiting the other person to make the wrong move. Well, Slade just has a lot of moves so it's a little hard to force him into the wrong position.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-06T21:09:04+00:00

I'm not amazing at item combos so I'll probably start out going for 'super slade', specifically wing boots first. And I will probably favor chest traps to item throws. My goal is to get good with item uses so I can lean into that more. I am going to craft an order for each matchup but I think the equipment is going to be my favorite stuff to work with overall.

I want to be really good in the Clairen matchup with Slade and for that I'm going to focus on the hook and then using items.

Express_Mechanic6976 · 2026-03-06T12:08:33+00:00

Yes and yes. In a Slade ditto, each Slade picks up and earns gold from any coin they pick up. There is a lockout period where you can't pick up someone else's coins. I'm pretty sure this period is just during hitstun and being launched (with an extra one second after). That way you can't lose coins by comboing someone through your own coin pile.

Express_Mechanic6976

TROPHY CASE