Kid Icarus: Uprising
Club Combat FAQ
Version 0.9
By Master Knight DH (http://www.youtube.com/user/MasterKnightDH)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

0. Version History (UPDATEZ)
1. Introduction (HIYA)
2. Tactics (CLUBYA)
3. Anti-Club Tactics (BUZZ)
4. Individual Clubs (INFODUMP)
5. Powers (PWNING)
6. Closing (BIYA)

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0. Version History (UPDATEZ)

*Version 0.9 (4/25/2012) - plenty of weapon stats gathered. All other 
sections updated. The data is still incomplete, but plenty of relevant info 
should be in here.

*Version 0.5 (3/24/2012) - this is a work in progress. I just want this 
guide up right now. Powers are incomplete and Individual Clubs has nothing 
done. I just want to be sure good club play can be fought reasonably. If you 
want to add more, please contact me. I'm probably in the KI:U chat room 
advertised on the boards, but I recommend Skype (ID:mknightdh) for 
contacting.

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1. Introduction (HIYA)

If you want to contact me, I have my contact info on my YouTube channel, or 
you can sometimes catch me on TwitchTV under mknightdh. Of course, if you
want to be unfriendly, don't bother.

Kid Icarus Uprising is a 3DS game, and the third game in the Kid Icarus 
series. However, rather than a 2D platformer, the game is a shooter, and can 
be played in either 1st person or 3rd person. Of course, you can also engage 
in melee combat. But if you're reading this, you probably would know this 
stuff.

I thought I would do a multiplayer guide on how to work with, or against, 
clubs, as I'm convinced a good club will already give plenty of players 
trouble. If you're wondering, the club weapon type is a Melee Tornado+Mighty 
Glacier hybrid. (IOW, good melee and power, bad range and speed.) I main a 
club, so I want to be sure they have a likeable balance, and they're already 
there too, as a club user who isn't alert enough is going to be a walking 
target and retreat-firing still works well too. Opponents should still be 
aware that they can make strong use of a good, synergetic power set combined 
with gameplay mechanics to punish mistakes harshly. So here's the guide.

Here's my club's stats, by the way:
*Skyscraper Club
**Range: 1
**Melee: 1.5
**Value: 288
**Extras:
***Overall DEF +7
***Health +6
***In-Peril Autododge +1

(Yes, incredible defense at sub-300 Value. The offense is iffy, but I'd 
rather have more free attacks than extra power per attack.)

By the way, if you want to match me in a friends match, please set Team 
Life Gauge at 2500 or above. 900 is only good for fast matches in an already 
fast-paced game or for tactics with mass-buffing due to it being a necessity 
rather than a strategic option. Higher TLG, in comparsion, makes Value 
actually matter, increases the usefulness of both player stamina and 
strategy, minimizes the influence of luck factors, and gives a well-deserved 
considerable nerf to Trade-Off.

Oh yeah, my FC is 5026-4532-8476.

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2. Tactics (CLUBYA)

While I'm writing this guide to provide anti-club tactics since clubs are 
that much of a worry, this is a guide about clubs. So naturally, a section 
about how to use clubs optimally is only right. In fact, if they were even 
close to outright invincible, this section would be pointless. Instead, they 
need strong play to avoid being easy points. So if you ever find yourself 
being stuck as a walking target for using a club, this section is worth 
checking out.

Things to worry about:
*Distance fire (blatant enemy of Melee Tornados and Mighty Glaciers alike)
*Good mid-range combat (makes cover less useful)
*Simple KBing shenanigans (I'm not playing SSB)
*Hit-and-run tactics (slowly but surely softens you up)
*Ability burn out (abilities protect you from the above)
*Ambushes in general (makes above reasons worse)

Tactics:
*USE TERRAIN COVER! I know people would say that would come naturally, but 
it does wonders for club users, as a wall blocking off the projectiles means 
that the club user doesn't take the damage that the projectiles would have 
done otherwise. Why is this good? Because thanks to the fast pace of the 
game, you can easily cover hop to get closer without any considerable 
penalty. This will inevitably pressure the opposition and force somebody to 
blink. And if you're not the first one to do that, you can suddenly halt 
your advance and arrange your powers safely. Thankfully, players are durable 
enough that your teammates should still be living long enough for you to get 
to the fireworks in time and dish out your frightening damage.
*APPROACH SMART! Again, sounds simple, but needs to be emphasized for club 
users. They want to get close to opponents in general to smash them, but the 
important thing is getting there in good enough shape first.
*BIG PROJECTILES CAN BE USED FOR TACTICS! As follows:
**TRAPPING! Rather than simply send it the opponent's way and hope they don't 
evade, you can send it right into the path of an escape route and force them 
to punch right through either the projectile, which still hits hard, or you, 
the Melee Tornado.
**ESCAPING! If you need to bail from an area for whatever reason, you can go 
for heading to a location where another opponent has to approach you through 
a chokepoint, where their chances of evasion are cut to the point where the 
only feasible options are retreat or stationary defense powers. They simply 
can't chase you through the chokepoint fast or they'll get mashed.
*USE A SYNERGETIC POWER SET! While club users will hit like trucks, if not 
bullet trains, they can still be evaded and they do have to worry about 
things like being hit first and being on the bad end of a combo. You will 
want to guard against this as well as other threats.
**Since power are important enough thanks to comboing, BEWARE OF BURNING 
OUT. You're not entirely defenseless if you have no abilities to fight off 
comboing with, but you'll be in for an uphill battle if you use everything 
up too quickly. Just be glad that stuff like Super Armor and Heavenly Light 
are around to make your net attack advantage much more dangerous.
**Also ARRANGE YOUR POWERS QUICKLY. They won't use themselves, since you are 
supposed to decide what to use. And it can help to have something like 
Heavenly Light out for a sudden clash, or Effect Recovery if you're statused 
out of the blue.
*BEWARE OF AMBUSHES. Club users get hit particularly hard by them because 
they rely on powers to do well, and getting caught with something like Super 
Armor inactive or Lightweight having been just activated can REALLY hurt.
*Against fellow club users, PLAY SMART. You're actually threatened in a 
simple duel with any of them, but going with that option will get you nowhere 
fast. If you're going to duel them, at least try to add some range combat 
into the mix.
*PLAN AGAINST ANY RETREAT FIRE SHENANIGANS. These are the worst nightmare of 
Mighty Glaciers, who have to deal with more attack opportunities from an 
opponent in an approach. Attack poorly and you'll be showered by a bunch of 
shots that could deal considerable damage. Defend poorly and you'll get no 
results while still getting shelled.
*ALSO DON'T UNDERESTIMATE BLADES. They're balanced, but that's what can hurt 
about them. They have decent net attack mixed with a good range option. And 
thanks to their lack of direct weaknesses, clubs will have a harder time 
planning against them. Palms and especially Cannons are also worth caution 
since their preferred range sweetspots on clubs, though you thankfully won't 
have as far to deal with when you're attacked by either.


-Teamwork:
Club users in Light VS Dark typically work best with lone wolf tactics, but 
they can be helpful support. Of course, their teammates should note the 
following:
*Just because you have a powerful teammate DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULDN'T PULL 
YOUR OWN WEIGHT WELL! Clubs still have their weaknesses, and left poorly 
covered, they can cripple an entire team by making them nothing but walking 
targets with simple divide and conquer.
**JUST SURVIVING YOURSELF CAN BE A BIG HELP IF THE CLUBBIE IS SMART! The 
final match at GDC 2012 attests to this, as the teammate of mine who became 
the team's Pit was cautious enough to give me much needed breathing room to 
rack up some needed KOs. Point is, do this well and the opponents can't turn 
you into KO fodder when the clubbie can quite possibly turn THEM into such.
**NEVER BE SURPRISED IF A CLUB USER ACTS LIKE A LONE WOLF! They might throw 
in teamwork tactics at times, but generally, dumb ones will think their power 
will crush all in their path, and smart ones will simply want to maximize 
their personal chances of crushing multiple opponents at once, and try to 
create enough chaos to make sure they hit at a good rate. Opposing club users 
are dangerous, sure, but ALLIED ones can hurt you just as much if you don't 
catch on fast. Just be smart and avoid excessive expectations, and you can 
fix that and quite possibly have a very valuable ally.
*ORGANIZING STILL HELPS! I typically play as a lone wolf, granted that 
doesn't mean I won't do some teammate related stuff, but club usage goes so 
well with good lone wolf tactics because of the sheer power and reach. 
However, there are situations where this will not be enough due to a flat-out 
overwhelming defensive position or strong organization. Mess up either with 
potshots. Any chaos that helps is all too welcome for club users.
*LEAVE FRONTLINING TO THE PROFESSIONALS! If you can't inherently frontline 
well, only do it as pure necessity. You never know when that extra oomph in 
health is going to be needed. Even defense club users can still be killed, 
and there will be nothing that will let you think that you will be any better 
off in that regard.
*NEVER FOCUS ATTACK SOMEBODY ALREADY TARGETED BY CLUB USERS WITHOUT GOOD 
REASON! If it's (Dark) Pit who is being attacked in a decisive skirmish, 
that's a good reason, but in general, club users should be allowed to handle 
thier chosen target in a melee duel, and putting too much focus on one foe is 
a blatant waste of power. Just make sure the other opponents won't be enough 
of a nuisance to ruin this. You especially want to do this to watch both your 
own back and theirs as well, because those ambushes can still sting, 
especially if an opposing clubbie pulls one on you.
*CUT OFF ESCAPE ROUTES! Clubs, Mighty Glaciers that they are, are great at 
controlling a single area, but it comes at the cost of having problems 
controlling many. By giving opponents grief in finding another area to go to, 
they're forced to pick their poison: escape and take punishment while clubbie 
gets a good regrouping opportunity, or fight the club user in a low space 
area. Either one helps you.
*If an ally club user EVER RETREATS, THEY PROBABLY HAVE A GOOD REASON! 
Especially consider that n00b club users will typically **NEVER** retreat, 
thinking that their sheer power will overwhelm all. That line of thinking 
actually isn't without reason, the idiocy being that clubs are still far from 
immune to poor tactics. If clubbies are retreating, something is up for their 
melee net attack to not be enough of an advantage.
**If an ally club user doesn't have low health and they still retreat, THINK 
BEFORE TRYING TO ATTACK! I have lost LvD matches where I avoided areas with 
stationary defenses because my teammates were idiots and rushed them. If you 
don't get it, a seemingly weird retreat on a club user's part is a good sign 
of how strong the opponents' defensive position probably is. The clubbie 
could just turn out to be low on powers, but even if that's the case, it's 
best to just support them to stop harassing opponents.

Here are things for clubbies to particularly consider making use of against 
each weapon type:
*Blade - general tactics
-One of the harder matchups. You have no weapon type weaknesses to exploit, 
but you yourself are susceptible to Blades' range-power mix. Luckily, Blades 
still can't attack carelessly because you still have a net attack edge, so 
pressure them as best you can and try to tank out anything they throw at 
you, as one slip-up on their part provides some very nice reward. It won't be 
easy, but then again, you can't say that defeating an opponent by this sort 
of flat tanking wouldn't be satisfying. XD
*Staff - efficient attacking
-While the Staff weapon type is popular for high range 1HK potential, it is 
thankfully not without weaknesses, as Staves are heavy. However, Staves abuse 
BOTH of the weaknesses of Clubs, whose users not only have to approach to do 
their work, but have to deal with being slowed down, which means MORE range 
attacks to get hit by and potentially get killed by. There is good news, 
though: the Staff user is also carrying a heavy weapon, so if they're caught, 
they're going to have problems getting away, which can easily result in an 
effective 1HK on THEM.
*Claw - combatting surprises
-I find this to be one of the easier weapon type matchups, but Claws alone 
warrant power usage, simply because of the various ways to give you trouble 
via overwhelming speed. Of course, once you start using powers, Claws simply 
can NOT beat you in a melee skirmish. Of course, they still have their speed, 
so they can run away from unwanted situations instead of doing dumb things 
like hanging around in a chokepoint. In that case, it's up to the club user 
to anticipate what the claw user can and will try to do against them. Do that 
and you can keep them from turning the tables back on you.
*Bow - good defilade usage
-The more balanced range weapons, Bows aren't as powerful as Staves, but 
they are lighter, which means that they can go for abusing retreat fire on 
you. If you approach carelessly, you're in for a world of hurt. Since they 
can actually escape if you do catch them, it is best to minimize the damage 
they can deal so as to avoid any potential problems down the road. Terrain 
cover will be VERY handy in this case, so use it, though be ready to evade 
in case you see a projectile still flying your way, because that can 
actually be Slip Shot at work trying to catch you by surprise.
*Palm - combatting sweetspot range
-While not having as much range as blades, Palms naturally make better use 
of the little range that they do have. Clubs even suffer because their range 
disadvantage is STILL around, only now they have to take more heat because 
of the sweetspot range. Luckily, they don't have as far to wade through, so 
the only problem is fighting off that sweetspot range. Break through it 
fresh enough and the palm user is wide open for a clobbering.
*Club - general strategies
-A weapon type mirror match. If you close the distance, the opponent can 
threaten to kill you. Even if you can win, you're VERY guaranteed to take a 
severe beating. So be sure to use anti-club tactics where you can. In a 
Light VS Dark match, you can fight other people instead. Obviously, you can 
fight other club users if you have some sense of pride or you just want to 
keep them busy with trust in your teammates, but whatever you do, please for 
Heaven's sake, keep tabs on fellow club users so that you can figure out 
what to do against them.
*Cannon - stamina usage
-Cannons, like palms, have that sweetspot effective range against Clubs. But 
they're even stronger than Palms to the point of being a definite threat to 
Clubs. Not enough? I forgot to mention that rapid fire, and they still have 
working melee. Just think of them as anti-tanks, or anti-clubs as the case 
may be. If you see a cannon wielder, do what you can to fight off their 
mid-range combat, because it is a MONSTER against you, and you still need to 
be in good shape in a melee skirmish. Luckily, Cannons will have trouble 
escaping if caught. Whether you can start the melee skirmish fresh is 
guaranteed to decide the matchup, and cannons will do what they can to make 
sure that won't happen. This is without a doubt THE hardest matchup for 
clubs, but it's not hopeless, as cannons are forced to space properly due to 
problems with both speed and accuracy, so survive as best you can, use 
equalizer tactics to keep from being massacred, and go for effective use of 
your powers to catch the cannon user with their pants down.
*Orbitars - being patient
-The Fragile Speedster of range weapon types, Orbitars will easily kite you 
if you aren't wary. Try not to force the distance closing on them, or else 
they can just as easily get away and prevent you from getting any desirable 
results. If you can find an opening in their defense, capitalize on it hard 
so that you can do your job. Of course, they probably will get away 
successfully, so don't be surprised if they do.
*Arm - power timing
-As a fellow Melee Tornado weapon type, Arms are equally devastating in CQC. 
Well, almost, depends on how much net attack is needed. They have an overall 
range edge on clubs, but it's not particularly big--mainly a speed edge. Of 
course, Arms' general speed advantage can be used to cause immense 
devastation. Powers are the way to win this matchup by making sure your net 
attack advantage is the key factor, but it would help to have a sense of 
timing. Use them too early and you risk burning out should the foe flee 
successfully. Use them too late and you'll be the one getting smashed. You 
can consider trying to trap an Arm user so that they can't escape your full 
force, but remember: time's a wastin'.

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3. Anti-Club Tactics (BUZZ)

You're probably on this guide to figure out how to defeat clubs, because 
they make use of their immense range and power, in combination with the way 
the game works itself out. Rest assured that club users are not invincible, 
although abilities make them downright devastating. Just keep the following 
in mind and you might be okay.

Tactics:
*IDENTIFY club users ASAP. They can easily provide plenty of grief if you 
don't catch on to who to is wielding a club or what they can do. Trust me: 
you will need to plan against even decent club users.
*Go for WEARING DOWN club users slowly but surely. As plenty of their 
effectiveness relies on powers, you can try to force them to waste powers 
until they start running out of available ones. But keep in mind that they 
may guard against this strategy, plus they still will always have their good 
melee attack power and maybe a good trap projectile, so they still won't be 
entirely defenseless when they're "BURNED OUT" as I'm referring to. All the 
same, it does says something about the value of this when a competent user 
of an arm, itself a Melee Tornado weapon type, will still do this.
*STAY OUT OF MELEE COMBAT WITH CLUB USERS IN GENERAL! I don't need to point 
out again how hard they hit, and they can use power to make their already 
vicious general net attack advantage even more of a problem.
**If you EVER get caught in melee combat with a club user without a suitable 
health advantage, ESCAPE IMMEDIATELY BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY! You might win if 
the club user is a n00b, but if they make good, fast use of their power, your 
chances of winning the skirmish will drop like a lead weight. At least with 
retreat you live to fight another day.
*CONSIDER HAVING EXISTING ANTI-MELEE ABILITY. Range 1HK at moderate condition 
sounds neat until you realize that the stars act more or less as an attack 
multiplier. This means that the base damage of the weapon was already high 
enough to begin with, but the weapon itself probably has bothersome traits. 
The reason you want anti-melee ability is so that you can hope to get away if 
you get chased constantly, to avoid potentially becoming a walking target.
*NEVER CLUMP in general. Thanks to the clubs' high reach, just two people in 
the same area can easily take double the total DPS. If a competent club user 
sees multiple people in the same area, they won't have a problem with making 
them a targeting priority. The only way clumpers are surviving is if ANY AND 
ALL of them can shake off the attacks well enough. Even then, it's still 
preferable to try to spread out to fight off the club users' wide reach. 
Working with a buddy system is perfectly fine, but space right or you're 
guaranteed to become an extra target.
*WATCH TERRAIN like a hawk. As pointed out how in the previous section, it's 
easily used by the club users to minimize the damage they take in a way that 
keeps their approach speed in good shape. Defilade is just plain useful for 
them. Chokepoints are also bad for you if you don't have a way to reflect 
the club users' projectiles because unless you auto-dodge or leave, they 
WILL hit you. Yeah, sure, you can dodge forward, right into the club users' 
advantageous combat range, with worse off momentum too. Just retreat and 
commit to something where you'd have working options.
*Reflecting can work but might need some creativity. It can work on a club 
user who gets too habitual, but it's best to stop better uses of the club 
user's typical projectile.
*You can try for ambushing, since club users hate dealing with that, but 
don't rely on it. Smart ones will not leave their terrain cover and whatnot 
to walk into a possible trap unsupported by abilities.
*Above all, do not underestimate the game's mechanics. There is a reason why 
a Mighty Glacier+Melee Tornado weapon type is versatile enough to cause this 
guide to exist. :P

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4. Individual Clubs (INFODUMP)

Of course, tactics are all well and good, but you might be here to find out 
more about the sort of club you'd be wanting to use. Well, here you go.

Basic format:
*Name of Club here
-Melee Strength: how strong the club is in melee based on Ore Club's damage
-Projectile Preference: which distance the projectile deals more damage in
-Damage: damage done by each attack, projectiles have maximum range listed
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: in order: neutral, forward, side, back
--Projectile Recharge: how much time for the projectile to recharge
--50m Walk: time required for walking 50 meters
--50m Dash: time required for dashing 50 meters
--Breath Distance: maximum distance before wearing out
-My thoughts: What I think of the club.

*Ore Club:
-Melee Strength: 100
-Projectile Preference: Distance
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 60
--2 hit combo: 34-38
--Swing from right: 26
--Swing from left: 18
--Forward Swing: 19
--Side Swing: 13
--Back Swing: 18
--Projectile: 44-55 (90m)
--Forward Projectile: 62-77.2 (80m)
--Side Projectile: 57-71.2 (56m)
--Back Projectile: 40-49.9 (3m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 45m/s, 16m/s, 12m/s, 0.8m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 4 seconds
--50m Walk: 9.5 seconds
--50m Dash: 6.5 seconds
--Breath Distance: 90m
-My thoughts: as The Mario of clubs, the Ore Club sets the standard for 
other clubs to be measured by. General club play applies well with it.

*Babel Club:
-Melee Strength: 104
-Projectile Preference: Close (extra hits)
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 62.4
--2 hit combo: 35.4-39.5
--Swing from right: 18.7
--Swing from left: 27
--Forward Swing: 19.8
--Side Swing: 13.5
--Back Swing: 18.7
--Projectile: 12.5 (maximum of 11 hits, 91.8m)
--Forward Projectile: 12.6 (maximum of 13 hits, upwards of 91.8m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 30m/s, 9.5m/s, 7.5m/s, 1m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 5 seconds
--50m Walk: 10 seconds
--50m Dash: 7 seconds
--Breath Distance: 85m
-My thoughts: the Babel Club provides a continuous hit projectile. Each hit 
deals decent damage, so I can see why people like it. Just be aware that it 
has high weight and recharge problems, doubtful that will stop you.

*Skyscraper Club:
-Melee Strength: 95
-Projectile Preference: Close
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 57
--2 hit combo: 32.3-36.1
--Swing from right: 24.7
--Swing from left: 17.1
--Forward Swing: 18.1
--Side Swing: 12.4
--Back Swing: 17.1
--Projectile: 22.7-90.6 (99m)
--Forward Projectile: 32.2-127.7 (88m)
--Side Projectile: 29.4-117.4 (61.6m)
--Back Projectile: (46)-82.4 (19.3m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 33m/s, 11m/s, 8m/s, 11m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 4 seconds
--50m Walk: 10 seconds
--50m Dash: 7 seconds
--Breath Distance: 85m
-My thoughts: my favorite club, and it doesn't disappoint. The Skyscraper 
Club has weaker melee, but more than makes up for it with a VERY good 
projectile. The damage is laughable at a high range, but when near foes, 
it's a great option due to the immense base damage and wide reach.

*Atlas Club:
-Melee Strength: 125
-Projectile Preference: Distance
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 75
--2 hit combo: 42.5-47.5
--Swing from right: 32.5
--Swing from left: 22.5
--Forward Swing: 23.8
--Side Swing: 16.3
--Back Swing: 22.5
--Projectile: 42.2-52.6 (37m)
--Forward Projectile: 60.2-73.7 (66.4m)
--Side Projectile: 54.7-68.4 (50.3m)
--Back Projectile: 38.8-47.7 (53.8m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 18m/s, 40m/s, 50m/s, 35m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 4.5 seconds
--50m Walk: 8 seconds
--50m Dash: 5.75 seconds
--Breath Distance: 105m
-My thoughts: nothing standout aside from fast dashing projectiles but a 
rather slow standing projectile.

*Earthmaul Club:
-Melee Strength: 110
-Projectile Preference: None
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 66
--2 hit combo: 37.4-41.8
--Swing from right: 28.6
--Swing from left: 19.8
--Forward Swing: 20.9
--Side Swing: 14.3
--Back Swing: 19.8
--Projectile: 41.3 (126m)
--Forward Projectile: 58.1 (100m)
--Side Projectile: 53.4 (90m)
--Back Projectile: 41 (80m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 55m/s, 50m/s, 45m/s, 50m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 4 seconds
--50m Walk: 10 seconds
--50m Dash: 7 seconds
--Breath Distance: 85m
-My thoughts: wow. That. Range. And it comes with great projectile speed. 
Good thing for the opponents that the shots are small, which prevents range 
shot trapping. Still, opponents will want to fight you at mid-range and just 
plain space well to avoid being decimated either by snipe shots or by mere 
club power.

*Ogre Club:
-Melee Strength: 160
-Projectile Preference: Distance
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 96
--2 hit combo: 54.4-60.8
--Swing from right: 41.6
--Swing from left: 28.8
--Forward Swing: 30.4
--Side Swing: 20.8
--Back Swing: 28.8
--Projectile: 37.4-46.7 (97.2m)
--Forward Projectile: 52.7-65.8 (86.4m)
--Side Projectile: 48.5-60.2 (60.5m)
--Back Projectile: 34-42.4 (30m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 32m/s, 7.5m/s, 6m/s, 15m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 4 seconds
--50m Walk: 7 seconds
--50m Dash: 5 seconds
--Breath Distance: 115m
-My thoughts: without a doubt one of the deadlier clubs. Hits VERY hard, 
has fairly low weight, and still has a decent projectile. Foes who see this 
used are warned to be highly cautious.

*Halo Club:
-Melee Strength: 50
-Projectile Preference: Close
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 30
--2 hit combo: 17-19
--Swing from right: 13
--Swing from left: 9
--Forward Swing: 9.5
--Side Swing: 6.5
--Back Swing: 9
--Projectile: 27.5-41.7 (prefers close, 72m)
--Forward Projectile: 38.5-58.5 (prefers close, 64m)
--Side Projectile: 35.6-54 (prefers close, 60m)
--Back Projectile: 8 hits totaling ~89-96 (prefers close, 7.6m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 60m/s, 60m/s, 60m/s, 7.5m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 2 seconds
--50m Walk: 9.5 seconds
--50m Dash: 6.5 seconds
--Breath Distance: 90m
-My thoughts: Rather hard to use because of the ABYSMAL Club Melee Strength 
and still sub-par projectile strength in general, a Halo Club user must be 
wary. The only good news is that the back projectile hits hard and can be 
used in an escape, and the projectiles are fast too. Use only if you can get 
its good points well understood to make up for the bad. (Then again, if 
you're using clubs, you'd better be doing that.)

*Black Club
-Projectile Preference: Distance
-Melee Strength: 122
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 73.2
--2 hit combo: 41.5-46.4
--Swing from right: 31.7
--Swing from left: 22
--Forward Swing: 23.2
--Side Swing: 15.9
--Back Swing: 22
--Projectile: 46.2-57.7 (63m)
--Forward Projectile: 65.1-81.1 (56m)
--Side Projectile: (39.2m)
--Back Projectile: (16m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 30m/s, 10m/s, 8m/s, 2m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 4.5 seconds
--50m Walk: 9.5 seconds
--50m Dash: 6.5 seconds
--Breath Distance: 90m
-My thoughts: a club with fairly good stats, though the recharge is a 
problem, nothing particularly stands out, and the homing can actually just 
hurt. At least the projectile is big.

*Capricorn Club
-Melee Strength: 90
-Projectile Preference: Close
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 54
--2 hit combo: 30.6-34.2
--Swing from right: 23.4
--Swing from left: 16.2
--Forward Swing: 17.1
--Side Swing: 11.7
--Back Swing: 16.2
--Projectile: 12.3-56 (50m)
--Forward Projectile: 18-78.9 (55m)
--Side Projectile: 16-72.5 (50m)
--Back Projectile: 12.2-51.1 (43m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 70m/s, 75m/s, 90m/s, 50m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 1 second
--50m Walk: 10 seconds
--50m Dash: 7 seconds
--Breath Distance: 85m
-My thoughts: the projectile recharges rather fast, so be sure to make use 
of it. The Capricorn Club is one of the weaker clubs, so it would be best to 
use high caution. It's tempting to get close, but you don't even have as much 
power backing you as you would with the Skyscraper Club.

*Aurum Club
-Melee Strength: 76
-Projectile Preference: Distance
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 45.6
--2 hit combo: 25.8-28.9
--Swing from right: 19.8
--Swing from left: 13.7
--Forward Swing: 14.4
--Side Swing: 9.9
--Back Swing: 13.7
--Projectile: 26.9-40.3 (64.8m)
--Forward Projectile: 37.9-56.8 (57.6m)
--Side Projectile: 34.8-52.2 (40.3m)
--Back Projectile: 24.4-35.8 (2.2m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 60m/s, 75m/s, 50m/s, 0.8m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 3.5 seconds
--50m Walk: 8.5 seconds
--50m Dash: 6 seconds
--Breath Distance: 95m
-My thoughts: this thing is more specialized than the Capricorn Club, only 
its recharge time is unimpressive, though at least it isn't as heavy, the 
projectile actually has size, and it does more damage at a distance. Just ID 
anybody with a decent melee net attack advantage or you may find yourself in 
unexpected trouble.

*Hewdraw Club
-Melee Strength: 130
-Projectile Preference: Distance
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 78
--2 hit combo: 44.2-49.4
--Swing from right: 33.8
--Swing from left: 23.4
--Forward Swing: 24.7
--Side Swing: 16.9
--Back Swing: 23.4
--Projectile: 28.6-42.9 (108m)
--Forward Projectile: 40.3-60.4 (96m)
--Side Projectile: 37.1-55.6 (67.2m)
--Back Projectile: 32.7-47.6 (21.4m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 36m/s, 30m/s, 22.5m/s, <36m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 4.5 seconds
--50m Walk: 9.5 seconds
--50m Dash: 6.5 seconds
--Breath Distance: 90m
-My thoughts: the stats are pretty rockin', and the projectile has homing, 
but that can be a bad thing, and it's not even wide so it can't projectile 
trap, especially seeing the projectile having bad power. The Hewdraw Club is 
popular in the Japanese community for a reason, but I don't doubt if tactics 
will cause this thing's weaknesses to become apparent.

*Magnus Club
-Melee Strength: 120 (140 with Smash Swings)
-Projectile Preference: None, Distance for Back
-Damage:
--Dash Attack: 72
--2 hit combo: 40.8-45.6
--Swing from right: 31.2
--Swing from left: 21.6
--Forward Swing: 26.6
--Side Swing: 18.2
--Back Swing: 25.2
--Projectile: 40 (10m)
--Forward Projectile: 74.4 (14m)
--Side Projectile: 68.4 (12m)
--Back Projectile: 8 hits totalling ~77-82 (5.3m)
-Speed:
--Projectile Speed: 33m/s, 35m/s, 30m/s, 6m/s
--Projectile Recharge: 0.5 seconds
--50m Walk: 6 seconds
--50m Dash: 4.5 seconds
--Breath Distance: 130m
-My thoughts: a very popular club, and not without reason. Magnus takes the 
club's power and adds on mobility. But it comes at the cost of having bad 
range with the projectile, which isn't even wide so it certainly can't trap. 
Anybody who sees this is highly recommended to wear down the Magnus Club as 
best they can but not focus too much on that and just make sure they can 
fight it off if it gets too close for comfort. The Magnus Club doesn't even 
have the best Club Melee Strength at all, in fact beaten by several other 
clubs, so consider treating it like a very strong arm.

By the way, the Melee Tornado Clubs (Ogre, Hewdraw, and Magnus) may get their 
own section in a future version if they become enough of a problem to warrant 
it, even without Trade-Off being abused.

Here's the order of Melee Strength ratings:
*Ogre Club: 160
*Hewdraw Club: 130
*Atlas Club: 125
*Black Club: 122
*Magnus Club: 120 (140 with Smash Swings)
*Earthmaul Club: 110
*Babel Club: 104
*Ore Club: 100
*Skyscraper Club: 95
*Capricorn Club: 90
*Aurum Club: 76
*Halo Club: 50


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Powers (PWNING)

Who could forget the bread-and-butter of the multiplayer: the powers. By 
using powers, you may be able to subvert problems in matchups or other 
creative things. I will simply provide a list of abilities here and provide 
a Usefulness and Threat rating for each one, the former being what I believe 
the appropriate grade for the power is for club users, and the latter being 
how well I feel the power would threaten club users. Letter grades range, 
from weakest to strongest, G to A, then S (Special), then M (Master). They 
may be off later on, but this is how I feel for the time being....

*Sky Jump - lot of uses without using much room, but rather situational. Use 
to approach safely. Foes can use to get away.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: C
**My thoughts: a simple jump. I haven't figure out a good use for reliable 
Sky Jump usage. So I can't judge it well.

*Jump Glide - Use to approach. Foes can use to get away.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: another ability I can't judge well. Sorry, folks. Opponents 
have used it as an evasive maneuver against me though so it can be used for 
that.

*Rocket Jump - Use to maneuver or a sudden blast. Foes can use to get away.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: this is rather nice as filler. Not only can you maneuver, but 
if a foe is nearby, you can use it for a sudden explosion attack for decent 
damage, in addition to KB if the opponent isn't protected against that.

*Angelic Missile - blasts through the air in a quick attack. Use to 
approach. Foes can use to get away.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: basically Rocket Jump but uses more space. Of course, it does 
at least work better at maneuvering if you're interested.

*Super Speed - continuously run for about 7 seconds, hitting foes along the 
way. Use to approach. Foes may use to escape.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: you can use this to close the distance on an enemy fast if you 
need to. The opponent, however, can easily escape, although they shouldn't be 
able to abuse retreat fire on you if they do.

*Warp - teleport to a random location. Purely an escape option.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: S
**My thoughts: sometimes, even the club users want to escape, but they're 
usually worn down or up against a stationary defense if they do. Foes WANT to 
escape easily from club users, of course. If they use this as a result, just 
regroup.

*Mega Laser - L1 uses a full row or column for one use, but this does provide 
a better long range attack: a laser that fires continuously for 3 seconds, 
dealing decent damage while continuously min-KBing the opponent. Use for 
trapping. Foes can use to deter approach.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: while you can use Mega Laser as a trap, it's not reliable for 
outright hitting the opponent. Of course, the opponent can potshot you with 
it, but at least you can fight your way through.

*Explosive Flame - uses a lot of spaces, but can cause an explosion attack 
that lasts 5 seconds and deals okay damage, continuous min-KBing, and fire 
status for even more. Decent range, not great. Can use as a distance attack. 
Foes can use to deter approach or ambush.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: decent as a trap that also deals damage. But foes that have 
this ability can use it to potshot you too.

*Black Hole - sucks in opponents. Use to control areas or punish clumpers. 
Opponents can use to ambush or deter approach.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: not a bad power to have if you're interested, since you can 
use it to trap opponents who don't have an armor ability active. Be aware 
that if they do, they will easily escape. Just plan your ability set well if 
you want to use this.

*Meteor Shower - fires some shooting stars in a line. Use to distance attack. 
Foes can use to disrupt approach.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: at best, this really is intended to mess up momentum, as it's 
not even that fast. Opponents don't want to approach you, you want to 
approach them.

*Land Mine - place a damage trap. Use to control a chokepoint. Foes can use 
to soften you up.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: mine strategy. I haven't seen this in action yet, so I can't 
make heads or tails of this. From what I can guess, I can be sure it's 
territory control if your wits are not enough for that, but at the cost of 
room for other powers to use to devastate the opposition. So do use it 
wisely.

*Reflect Barrier - creates a barrier that sends projectiles back for 6 
seconds. Use for cover. Foes can use to punish messy projectile usage.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: if you're worried about losing control of an advance, this 
is worth considering to force opponents to either approach you less than 
optimally, a losing proposition, or retreat. Doesn't suit my style though. 
This thing's mere existence can be a problem to club users simply because 
their projectiles hit so hard and are so wide, but I prefer to use the 
projectiles as mere traps to begin with. Nevertheless, do be careful, 
especially if you're using Counter.

*Heavenly Light - defensive shine that lasts 6 seconds. Use to punish 
suboptimal attacking. Foes can't use well due to the general melee net 
attack problem.
**Usefulness: S
**Threat: F
**My thoughts: very useful. If an opponent suddenly clashes with you, you 
can proc this and chip-damage them then smash them since they're not able to 
guard as well now. Just don't be surprised if a club user has Super/Aries 
Armor triggered, since they will easily shrug this off. You can still get 
clobbered because HL doesn't KB, but no more clashing is useful.

*Autoreticle - hit opponents more easily for 20 seconds. Only use if you're 
sure you don't need range attacks, since otherwise it can backfire easily. 
Foes can only use this well with projectiles to wear you down.
**Usefulness: E
**Threat: D
**My thoughts: why would you need this? Maybe if you are concerned about 
melee accuracy, but making the range targeting more automated is asking to 
become reflect fodder. At least this skill doesn't boost opponents' threat 
that well.

*Quick Charge - full charges strong projectiles for 25 seconds. Use to 
charge the trap projectile more easily, be careful of reflect shenanigans 
if you use this. Foes can use this to strong projectile more often.
**Usefulness: D
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: traps are okay, but if you're not careful, you could get 
smashed by reflect shenanigans. Of course, the opponent could use this to 
spam charge projectiles, making sure that the only reason for this not 
getting a flat S or M Rank is because you can do things like use defilade.

*Homing Boost - better shot homing for 25 seconds. L1 uses a lot of room. 
Don't bother using it unless your club's projectile speed is good. Foes can 
use it to clobber you when you're out in the open.
**Usefulness: G
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: hooray for becoming reflect fodder. At least this doesn't 
give the opponent any power boosts or make it easier to get past cover. It's 
just punishment for going through an open area. Homing Boost does get an A 
simply because Cannons are inherently bolstered by it, and we know the story 
with Cannons...

*Slip Shot - shots ignore terrain for 25 seconds. L1 uses many spaces. 
Situational for club users. Foes can use to ignore terrain cover, please 
be wary.
**Usefulness: G
**Threat: M
**My thoughts: this skill is easily club-unfriendly no matter which side of 
the coin the club user is on. A club user already wants to close the 
distance on the opponent, and when they do that, terrain cover is pointless. 
But meanwhile, distance combatants can use this to ignore the club users' 
terrain cover, making a mess of their approach. With distance weapons that 
can 1HK at moderate condition around, this alone is plenty of reason for 
club users to really plan around distance specialists. The only saving grace 
is that Slip Shot loses its effectiveness when you're closer, since cover 
isn't nearly as necessary.

*Invisible Shots - plenty of room used at L1 for 1 use but invisible shots. 
Use it for surprise attacks. Foes can use it to surprise you.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: the reason this doesn't get a higher Threat rank is because 
distance fire is too abundant in the game to begin with. Getting shot by 
somebody who could have you in their crosshairs should NEVER come as a 
surprise. This does make it worse to be out in the open, though, so it can 
hurt an approach, but it doesn't even provide stat boosts, just tries to 
abuse stats that are already there. Invisible club shots, though, can see 
some use as they have wide range, but you do have to plan your ability set 
around them.

*Random Effect - plenty of room used but while active, attacks causes a 
random ailment so the opponent may be frozen today. Use if you feel lucky.
Foes may feel lucky and end up getting something they like.
**Usefulness: F minimum (Poison), C in general
**Threat: M maximum (Stone), B in general
**My thoughts: it's a luck skill. If you're feeling lucky, use it, but the 
only ones who should use are those prepare to deal just poison. However, 
a lucky opponent can cause much worse than making sure you were poisoned 
today...

*Poison Attack - attacks cause poison. Poison damage pales in comparison to 
general club damage, don't bother. Foes may use to gradually soften you.
**Usefulness: F
**Threat: D
**My thoughts: I'm sorry, this skill sucks. Even if "poisoned" can fit well 
in a certain meme, poison isn't useful. The game is too fast-paced for the 
meager damage to really matter. It would be useful if the damage was 
considerable, but that's not the case. :( At least it softens up a club 
user, so anti-club players can give it a shot, but I guarantee there are 
better options.

*Paralyze Attack: attacks cause paralysis. Use to bolster an attack. Foes 
may use to weaken your attack.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: this is not bad filler if you want potential free hits and 
you don't already kill the opponent too quickly. Just don't be surprised if 
the opponent can undo statuses. Of course, the opponent can use this to 
really hamper your mobility.

*Weaken Attack: attacks cuts max health in half. Can use to bolster an 
attack. Opponents can use to ruin your own attack.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: S
**My thoughts: club users can use this at the start of their attack. This 
can save health if you're interested in using it, but club users have high 
enough net attack as it is. On the other hand, this can easily be obnoxious 
to club users because they take double damage. Being crippled like that 
wouldn't be the best thing to deal with.

*Petrify Attack: attacks turn opponnets to stone. Can use to leave opponents 
as immobile, open targets. Opponents can use to do the same.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: M
**My thoughts: oh God. This skill EASILY makes Weaken Attack look like junk. 
Plan against this or else you WILL be killed if you're ever inflicted by 
this, the defense boost only cutting damage in half. And don't even ask me 
why it's only 6 spaces at L1 with a good shape. Then again, the problem is 
the status's excessive power in the first place. Counters are as follows:
-Aries Armor (doesn't provide immunity but provides resistance)
-Effect Recovery (inexpensive, shrug off statuses, bolster high defense)
-Lightweight (can create a maneuver war)

*Shake Attack: attacks cause shaking. Use to mess up the opponent's aiming. 
Foes may use to make it hard to aim projectiles.
**Usefulness: D
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: rather unreliable on your part. The opponent cain't aim well, 
but they can still hit you. On the other hand, if you're affected by this, 
you will have some trouble with your Mighty Glacier projectiles.

*Confuse Attack: attacks cause confusion. Use to bolster an attack by 
potentially ruining the opponent's escape. Foes may use to ruin your own 
attack.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: not as effective as paralysis, since the confused person can 
still hit back, if in a messy manner, but worth a shot if you're up for it 
since you may be able to keep control of the situation. However, the 
opponent can use it on you to mess up your own attack and mobility, but they 
may want to flee more than anything, since you still hit back too.

*Burn Attack: attacks cause burning. Basically Poison Attack V2.0.
**Usefulness: F
**Threat: C
**My thoughts: see Poison Attack. Does better damage at least.

*Freeze Attack: attacks cause frozen. Same as Petrify Attack.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: M
**My thoughts: basically a more expensive Petrify Attack. See above. Still 
gets the M rank in Threat, but the lack of innate counterbalance to being 
immobile isn't useful, making Petrify Attack inherently stronger, so you can 
expect to see THAT more often.

*Spin Attack: attacks cause spin.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: similar enough to Confuse Attack. See that.

*Eggplant Attack: attacks cause Eggplant transformation. Use to keep health 
more intact. Foes may use to stop your own attack.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: M
**My thoughts: opponents as Eggplants can't attack. Which means you will 
have fewers attacks to worry about when you inflict this. However, if this 
is done to you, you will lose your own attack ability AND your dodging 
ability. You're at least mobile, but it doesn't matter, as it's typically 
claw users who abuse this and will turn you into a punching bag.

*Tempura Attack: attacks cause Tempura transformation. Same as Eggplant 
except I think this also provides stamina problems.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: M
**My thoughts: plan around this if you want to use this. It uses more space 
but opponents can't get away as well. Opponents are typically better off 
with Eggplant Attack.

*Power Thief: melee attacks can steal opponents' abilities. Use to grab 
extra abilities. Foes can use to gimp your ability availability if they 
survive the melee skirmishes.
**Usefulness: D
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: I swear, is it me or does thing simply not trigger very 
often. Granted, you could get some good stuff if you're lucky, but if you're 
relying too much on abilities, you could end up with abilities that you want 
to save up getting nicked, granted that's assuming you're in an unwanted 
melee skirmish so a club user would likely have to be misplaying to suffer 
from this.

*Energy Charge: gradual increase to attack power that lasts until the user 
is hit. Foes can use to bolster their distance combat.
**Usefulness: F
**Threat: M
**My thoughts: wow. An attack power boost, and it's gone as soon as the user 
is hit too? Club users are meant to shrug off hits, not avoid them. Not 
enough for them? Club users have the most difficulty hitting somebody who 
will opt to fight well at range. So more problems to deal with. At least it 
won't be on a cannon user frequently, since they're typically easy to hit 
with another weapon type.

*Libra Sponge: attacks taken increase your own attacks. Use to bolster an 
approach. Foes can use to punish you.
**Usefulness: E
**Threat: C
**My thoughts: this is just not useful for club users. Even if it was a 
percentage boost for the number of attacks (lol claw users), this is just 
overcosted for club users, as they have high enough attack power as is. 
This does have some degree of threat from opponents, who can use it to wreck 
your approach, but shouldn't be too bad when you still damage them and still 
should have a net attack advantage to begin with.

*Darkness: limits nearby opponents' vision severely. (You can still see some 
of the interface, just not much.)
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: players can get past this, but as to the limiting vision 
itself, worth using if you're interested because the opponents won't even 
know how to evade when they already need to. Opponents can use this to get 
free hits, so watch out if you're hit by it, but they still don't want to 
get too close lest they get hit. If you get hit by this, consider using a 
power like Counter to avoid being a target.

*Interference: stops ability usage and intel viewing for opponents near the 
beacon.
**Usefulness: D
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: an ability that would be useful on club users if you didn't 
have to stop. The problem is, club users generally have to keep moving so 
that they don't get their speed disadvantage capitalized upon. Heavenly 
Light at least can be used as a reaction, and Reflect Barrier as a way of 
controling a chokepoint or forcing an approach. Interference doesn't even do 
its job very well since abilities get used during approach. Of course, this 
thing can ruin usage of abilities that last shorter, so if you're using 
Aries Armor or trying to camp, do be wary.

*Virus: nearby foes suffer Weaken and Paralysis. Can use to cripple 
opponents. Foes can use to cripple your own attack.
**Usefulness: D
**Threat: S
**My thoughts: an okay skill, but likely NOT worth sacrificing Aries Armor </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
for, since Weaken and Paralysis together are still not as strong as Stone.
However, if you're hit by this, you might want to get out of the area ASAP, 
unless you have Effect Recovery, of course.

*Super Armor: prevents being KBed and also boosts defense. A MUST HAVE, as 
it prevents being comboed. Foes also have virtually little to no reason to 
use this on club users unless they have good enough melee net attack 
somehow.
**Usefulness: M
**Threat: F
**My thoughts: props to anybody who can make a good club power set that 
minimizes the need for Super or Aries Armor. (Or Trade-Off, broken garbage 
that it is.) This thing simply goes so well with club users. Not being KBed 
in melee combat means that net attack power becomes much more important in 
melee combat, and by the heavens club users have that advantage. Only thing 
to keep in mind is that you still take damage, albeit reduced, but taking a 
smack is worth easy control of an area. And meanwhile, opponents that would 
want to work against club users can't use this very well because they still 
won't be getting far enough to avoid the club user adapting. As a note, it's 
best to accomodate Super Armor with Effect Recovery to stop statuses, since 
you're still susceptible to status attacks.

*Brief Invincibility: absolute protection for 3-4 seconds. Only consider 
over Super Armor if you can be sure of ending skirmishes quickly enough. 
Foes may use to escape.
**Usefulness: D
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: if for some reason you're not worried about being KBed in 
general, you may use this for a sudden boost, but it lasts so short when 
club users have high net attack to begin with. Of course, an opponent can 
use this suddenly too, although they're likely only able to escape since 
minimizing damage shouldn't be so hard to begin with.

*Tirelessness: prevents exhaustion. Use to move at full speed without 
problem. Foes can use this to do the same to escape.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: C
**My thoughts: one obnoxious thing about club users is that they tire out 
at a low distance, since they can either move at below their low max speed, 
or make not a lot of distance before becoming an open target. You can use 
this to avoid burning out if you can't find another ability worth using. 
Opponents also can use this if they happen to care enough about avoiding 
stamina problems.

*Lightweight: prevents exhaustion and speeds the player up, at the cost of 
taking more damage. Be aware of the high room used. Use for mobility boosts 
but watch out when you engage in combat. Foes can use this to escape more 
easily.
**Usefulness: M
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: Lightweight seems to be a bad power for clubs because the 
whole point of getting to the hotzone is to smash the opponents like wild 
and making sure to be the last one standing, which Lightweight interferes 
with by making their net attack weaker. However, I had forgotten that 
Lightweight's speed boost can be used to do chases and hit-and-run attacks 
better. You still want to avoid being hit now, but at least now you can get 
right next to an opponent more easily. And it's easier to avoid being hit 
now too, so obnoxious things like Petrify Attack aren't as bad. In addition, 
it minimizes the problem with enemies pulling retreat fire, which foes can 
actually use this for, but at that point, their speed gain won't be 
incredibly blatant.

*Trade-off: reduced to 1HP but get insane power boosts and invincibility 
for upward of 20 seconds depending on the user's health.
**Usefulness: M (BROKEN)
**Threat: M (BROKEN)
**My thoughts: it's not immune to poor usage, but Trade-Off is easily 
abused, thanks especially to that wretched invincibility. The obvious 
counter is either to stay away (good luck with that) or use a power like 
Warp or Play Dead that inherently allows opponents to regroup, if you can 
even proc it fast enough in response. The only solace is that it's usable 
once per battle with no recharge, like that helps in random matches due to 
that awful 900 Team Life Gauge.

*Aries Armor: Super Armor that provides ailment resistances but lasts 
shorter. NOTE THAT IT DOES NOT PREVENT AILMENTS OUTRIGHT.
**Usefulness: M
**Threat: E
**My thoughts: this is basically Super Armor, but makes you become resistant 
to ailments. Not immune, though, but it seems to take longer for stuff like 
Petrify to become inflicted. Be aware, though, that Aries Armor lasts shorter 
than Super Armor, so you may want to proc it a little late and beware skills 
like Interference for that reason. It uses more room than Super Armor and 
Effect Recovery combined, but you're likely to like the shape better at 
least.

*Bumblebee: auto-dodge that when triggered moves the user behind the 
attacker.
**Usefulness: S
**Threat: D
**My thoughts: any opponent ought to be thankful that this thing only 
triggers when they want it to. The real problem is recognizing when somebody 
has used it. If you want to counter it, use a lagless move and then quickly 
move out of the way of the ambush.

*Counter: reduces KB, auto-counters. Can be used in melee combat, but 
enemy projectiles can abuse this. Foes can't use this very well due to the 
net attack problem.
**Usefulness: S
**Threat: F
**My thoughts: Counter misses the M Rank in Usefulness, although barely, 
because it can actually be used against you via things like being shot from 
behind a reflect barrier. However, if you're on to such shenanigans, this 
thing can manage downright insane efficency with clubs, simply because you 
can punish the opponent harshly for attacking. You're not invincible using 
this, but net attack is important enough with this that it's not hard to 
guess the reasons for the ranks. Just watch out for flanking attacks and 
reflects.

*Transparency: become invisible. Use to approach more easily. Foes can use 
to escape. The user's opponent(s) should stay alert.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: A
**My thoughts: you can use this to cover up your approach if you're 
interested, but it doesn't last long and I think your location can be given 
away if you use buffs. Opponents can use it to make it virtually impossible 
to know where they are to be able to hit them. Do not be surprised if they 
use their invisibility to open the distance between you and them to proceed 
to shower you with projectiles. (They're idiots if they stick around, because 
invisibility only affects vision, definitely not net attack.)

*Playing Dead: fake death then become invisible. Won't fool alert players, 
but does provide invincibility.
**Usefulness: B
**Threat: S
**My thoughts: this is basically Transparency Version 2.0. The faking death 
part, though, can actually be rendered pointless if you know what to check 
carefully. Invincibility is provided though, so be sure to watch out for 
that. Luckily, it only lasts longer than Transparency if the user is 
stationary, so don't hang around a PD user.

*Health Recovery: restores health. Use to avoid being killed. Foes can only 
use if they can survive a single skirmish.
**Usefulness: A
**Threat: C
**My thoughts: Seemingly useless, Health Recovery is in fact useful for club 
guys. Since you have to participate in melee combat, you're bound to take a 
beating. Luckily, KOing opponents fast means you take fewer hits in a given 
skirmish, which results in less punishment for the healing to undo, making 
it much easier to be good as new. Just remember to use it in a safe location, 
because getting hit stops the process. Opponents may use Health Recovery 
decently if they escape, since they would want to wear you down.

*Effect Recovery: undoes ailments. Low room with 3 uses at L1. Use to get 
rid of stuff like Paralysis. Foes can do the same.
**Usefulness: S
**Threat: D
**My thoughts: if you're fast or have a club with VERY good defense, you can 
use this and just need Super Armor instead of Aries Armor. Club users' foes 
typically get KOed fast enough that statusing them isn't helpful, although 
they can still get statused and still get away.

*Pisces Heal: get healed by a finishing attack.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: I suppose if you're fighting something that threatens you, 
Pisces Heal can be used against staff users. But otherwise, it uses up a lot 
of room. Then again, a club's foe might not mind using Pisces Heal to level 
the playing field a bit by having basically twice as much health. But a good 
club user can live with that, no?

*Spite: self-destruct.
**Usefulness: G
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: this might be useful in Free-For-All 1-on-1s, by denying the 
opponent points. However, Spite in a Light VS Dark match is bad on a club 
user. Sure you might want some abilities back, but Spite uses up too much 
room for that, and it's better to just fight back anyway. Foes may use this 
if they want to kamikaze on you though, but it can just as easily rip apart 
their team meter to do damage you might be able to laugh off.

*Item Vacuum: vacuums items.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: C
**My thoughts: this can be used to snag contested items more easily. However, 
it doesn't use a low amount of space, so you can't use this ability as a 
filler one. I haven't seen enough items pop up on Standard to justify this 
as a good non-filler ability anyway, and if I'm contesting, I'm up for 
sending a projectile to make sure an opponent can't grab it for free.

*Throwing Boost: throws items better. Both sides can use on clumps.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: C
**My thoughts: at least this thing can be used as filler. But items don't 
pop up frequently enough to begin with if you ask me.

*Double Item: doubles item effects.
**Usefulness: C
**Threat: B
**My thoughts: non-filler for item usage.

*Fortune's Jukebox: change the music.
**Usefulness: G
**Threat: G
**My thoughts: a joke power. If you're interested, you can use it to change 
the music and hope you get something you like. Oh, and guess what? This 
can't be used by any bloody trolls because it doesn't affect the music for 
the other players, AND they can't even prove they were using the ability 
without doing something like streaming. Haha! Serves them right for bashing 
on friends like MarioMastar who do nothing wrong except being friends with 
me.

*Celestial Firework: launches fireworks that deal VERY poor damage.
**Usefulness: G
**Threat: G
**My thoughts: another joke power. I'm hearing this one can at least be used 
as a signal for a coordinated attack, but the game's rather fast-paced to 
begin with, so good luck with that.

*Random: random power is activated.
**Usefulness: varies
**Threat: varies
**My thoughts: It's sheer luck what you will get. If you decide on this, hope 
you don't get something like Spite or Homing Boost.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Closing (BIYA)

Thanks to those who were at GDC 2012 in San Francisco on March 9. The game 
proved its worth to me there, and I was already able to figure out that 
clubs are good. Also thanks to the more friendly people in the Kid Icarus 
Uprising communities for providing me with matches that provided some useful 
insight.

Kid Icarus Uprising is copyright 2012 HAL Laboratories. I do not own the 
characters or such in it, blah blah blah. But thanks to them for making 
this game.

This FAQ is copyright 2012 Master Knight DH. Please do not try to claim it 
as your own or some nonsense like that.