Smash Ultimate Review – Incineroar

March 1, 2019 By Bloggin Hood

Welcome to the Smash Ultimate Character Review. In this series, brought to you by no one because who would sponsor this, Bloggin Hood will review each character in Smash Ultimate, a daunting task for anyone without a crippling addiction for Nintendo products. This series will review important topics like best costume, taunt, and the most stylish moves in the character’s arsenal to embarrass opponents. It’ll also discuss less important topics, like best moves, character strength and weaknesses, and overall play style. If you survive the boring stuff, you’ll know just how to play to be the biggest baller online with a Kill Death Ratio at -3.

This all comes from a casual player’s mindset. While I’m not a button mashing new player with no concept of the shield button and I understand what profession players are talking about, I myself am not a professional. In fact, I’m all thumbs. I can’t input a combo, a combo breaker, or even a C stick Smash. It’s not pretty. Therefore, don’t expect these to be a technical discussion, or a high level point of view. I’m writing these for the people who follow-up their Kirby Rock Form with a second Rock Form. I’m writing to the players that go out of their way to pick Star Fox and say “Pew Pew Pew” as he slams the B button like it owes him rent money. And yes, I write to you, the heavyweight characters who spam smash attacks hoping for the best. There may be some real content in here, but only because I back doored my way into it.

Today, we’ll look at Incineroar, one of the most controversialselections in Smash. Most of the hate stems from the leak that occurred just before the character was announced. Others just don’t like bulked up Tony the Tiger. What is the correct view? Let’s find out.

Opening Rant:

Picture November 2018, one month before the release of Smash Ultimate. A final trailer is about to drop releasing the remaining unlockable characters for the game. However, the internet was already buzzing due to something called “The Grinch Leak”.

For those not aware, you know because you have a life, this was a game changer. An image was leaked, supposed in the Grinch movie studio that contained the full roster of characters. The Grinch part sounds odd, but remember, last year there was a Grinch movie. I know, it was that forgettable. Bad movies aside, the image contained basically every remaining hyped character – Banjo Kazooie, Issac from Golden Sun and even Geno. There were a few others I already forgot, but had it came true, the roster would have been perfect. Once the trailer gave us one of these characters, it was all but confirmed. For two weeks we waited, and then the trailer dropped.

So did the fans’ hype. Instead of getting Banjo and the long-awaited Geno, we got Ken Masters, a clone of Ryu, and Incineroar. Now personally, I was pretty hyped about Incineroar. He had a few wrestling moves and looks like an absolute mauler. But then the trailer ended, saying that’s all the remaining base characters. It wasn’t until the last few minutes that Piranha Plant’s reveal brought back some hype. To think it was a plant to reel people back from the edge. Incineroar went from interesting newcomer to most hated character in about 10 seconds.

For many, Incineroar’s inclusion meant that all the promised characters were a lie. The leaked photo was an incredibly elaborate hoax, and it’s amazing people have the ability to pull that off. I don’t see the upside of everyone hating you, but hey, I also don’t see the point of Orange Juice. I assumed the hate for the new Pokémon was dashing hopes for different characters.

However, it goes beyond that – most Pokemon fans hated him too. Seriously, go to any Nintendo message board, and you’ll see people bashing poor Incineroar. Either you’re ok with him, or you hate him. My theory involves heav pokemon speculation, so strap yourself in.

I think most people dislike Incineroar due to player fatigue. Mainly, Pokemon’s fire starters always come with human traits. And by “I think”, I mean this is the common theme I’ve seen in every single internet thread explaining why people hate him. I guess I can sort of see it, but I’ll have to discuss the other fire type starters. I’d include photos of each, but I still fear lawsuits, so I’m going to avoid it. Google.com has image searching features to assist. So does Bing, but don’t do that to yourself.

Charizard – A giant fire lizard who evolved from a salamander…thing, I guess? Charizard should have been a full on dragon, but that would have broken the first generation games. Mewtwo took care of breaking the game already, thank you. Charizard became most people’s favorite starter of all time, which is a wrong opinion. Subjectively, Venusaur is the correct option. Charizard tacked on a flying type to his overrated fire starter role.

Typlosion – Some sort of small rodent evolved into a badger. For some reason, Typlosion stands on two legs despite obviously needing to be on four. He became a fire type, and I’d say the 2nd worst listed here. He’s not bad though. There’s only one that’s bad.

Blaziken – Beginning as a winged chicken, Bliazken becomes a bipedal fighting and fire type. He’s pretty cool, but kind of slow. At the time, the concept was unique. Keep that in mind when we discuss generation 5.

Infernape – From tiny monkey to Kung Fu Chimp, Infernape also evolved into a fire and fighting type. Huh. That’s weird. None of the other Pokémon starters this generation copied the second typing from generation 3. Nobody seemed to care because Infernape was really good. Basically Blaziken 2.0. I mean, he’s even a cooler animal.

Emboar – Oh my god. This thing is horrible. Emboar evolved from a tiny, four-legged pig, to, guess what, a bipedal fire and fighting type. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. Not only is he just a rehash of the last two starters, he looks awful and wasn’t any good. Emboar is when people started turning on the fire starters. Seriously though, this one is terrible. I support the hate.

Delphox – Starting as a four-legged fox, Delpox becomes a bipedal fire PSYCHIC pokemon. They did it! Hooray! Despite another two-legged fire starter, people were cool with Delphox because this Pokémon was different. Plus, Delphox incorporates a broom and plays the role of a magician. It’s something new.

Incineroar – Now, most people like Incineroar’s first forms, both Bipedal cat/tigers/whatever. But, the evolution followed the same pattern – a giant, bipedal, humanoid thing. Despite taking on a dark type, a unique combo, people think he looked like a fighting type. Hell, his smash portrayal is a fighting and dark type anyway. People also hated that he was slow, so they fell in that trap yet again. Incineroar wasn’t even a bad choice – people just hated the tired design.

You can imagine why the crowds were so angry at his inclusion. Everyone expected a new Pokémon, but most felt there were other, better choices for the slot. You know, like Pichu.

I couldn’t disagree more. I don’t really care about popularity or how many legs a character has. Incineroar’s wrestling persona is fantastic for this game. We haven’t had a character of this archetype, and his move set is a lot of fun. Is he slow? Dreadfully, but that’s ok. When you only need like 4 attacks to knock someone from the ring, you’re doing something right. I spent a lot of time to explain all the hate just to say I don’t really care. Like Incineroar’s gimmick, I’m playing the heel on this one.

And you know what else? Mallow is a better Super Mario RPG character than Geno. Yeah I said it, and I’d do it again too. WOOOOOOO!

Fighter Review:

Character Gimmick – Feeding off of all of the internet’s hate, Incineroar’s main gimmick revolves around his Down B move, Revenge. He can absorb the damage received on an attack and pay it back with a boosted Smash attack or Side B. It’s possible to pull off 50-60% in one attack if you use Revenge appropriately. The Revenge boost can be stacked. In theory, you can OHKO someone with a boosted FSmash. This is essential with Incineroar’s speed.

Playstyle – Incineroar is a grappler, really the only character of the type. While others have a command grab, the Pokémon is built around throws. The lessor, more obvious gimmick of Incineroar is being a wrestler. Therefore, his throws are stronger than most characters. Of note is his Back throw, the best kill throw in the game. This is if you don’t count Incieroar’s Side B, which is even stronger. This is a character designed to defeat an opponent in minimal hits. He will take damage and he struggles to recover. You want to position the opponent near the side and take advantage of his throws.

Costumes – While only color swaps, these at least change Incieroar’s full appearance. Personally, I think the orange and yellow color scheme looks like flames. It’s also extremely irritating to the eyes. So, it’s up to you there. The inverse Black and Red color scheme works really well. I also like the grey and red combo too. There’s a few misses – the green and purple specifically, but most work pretty well.

Taunts – The base taunt package isn’t the best. I like when Incineroar points to the sky and his belt lights up while he does it. It’s a nice touch. His other good taunt is kneeling and raising his arms looking for the crowd reaction. Both of these are very wrestler, so they fit. It’s just they’re not that great.

However, Incineroar really shines in this department from his normal moves. After a good deal of his attacks, typically specials and smashes, Incineroar will taunt. The animation changes whether you hit or miss. That’s right, he even has taunts for missed attacks, usually Incineroar showing frustration. I love this. It completes the wrestler feel. Now, you can cancel any of these attack animations to avoid them. But I mean, they are taunts. Why would you not want to taunt?

Finally, when hitting an opponent off a revenge boosted Smash or Side B, everything slows down to hype up the moment. That will be followed by an auto Incineroar taunt. That’s exactly what you want to see.

Speed & Mobility – There’s none here. I’m not trying to be funny, Incineroar is the slowest character in the game. Go ahead and dash forward. You’ll be able to get up, get a drink and come back before you reach the opponent. In the air, his movement is just as slow. Fortunately, his attack speed is fairly good for the impact of his blows, but getting toward an opponent is difficult.

He doesn’t really have any moves to close the gap on opponents. His side B does a bit, but remains pretty damn slow. His Up B actually covers a bit of ground, but it’s telegraphed. Movement, a key component to fighting, is not a strength.

Projectiles – Incineroar doesn’t have any projectiles. Based on his movement speed and play style, he’s going to struggle in any projectile war. However, he has one option to avoid being pinned down – Revenge. Not only does this absorb knockback, it’ll boost your next big attack. However, you’re still losing some percentage each time, and someone with a particularly good projectile, Wolf’s laser for example, will spam you. Plus, your powered up attack is far from guaranteed. The projectile game is rough.

Recovery and Edge Guarding – I don’t know if it’s Incineroar’s weight, or his lack of jump height, but he struggles recovering. You can use side B for some horizontal range, but not much. His Up B, which was buffed from release, still doesn’t have impressive height or distance. He’s another example of a character who can survive to high percentage, but easily gimped from returning.

Truthfully, I wouldn’t bother edge guarding with all the issues Incineroar has recovering. If you have to, his Nair, Fair, and Bair can be good and provide the power needed for a stock, but it’s not a gimme. I wouldn’t risk edge guarding unless you have a lead.

Ground Game – When you get in, Incineroar should focus on throws. Down Throw actually leads to combos at low percentage, but afterwards, focus on damage. Use Side B as much as possible, but don’t be predictable. Incineroar has good titls which helps set up his Smashes. For the most part, USmash and FSmash both provide great power with decent speed. Remember to mix in Revenge for boosts whenever you can.

Air Game – While not spectacular, his air game has several attacks to use. Fair is a drop kick, popular among heavies in Smash Ultimate, that has good range and knock back. Bair is a back kick that serves as a KO move. Both moves are Best when connected off Incineroar’s feet, which shouldn’t be a problem. Nair is an aerial splash which is pretty quick. U Air is Incineroar’s only juggle option. Finally Dair is a spike, but Incineroar doesn’t need to spike opponents. You also have access to revenge and side B, so it’s not a bad kit. But man, is it tough to get in attack range.

Power – I shouldn’t have to mention it. Incineroar has one of the higher power outputs in his base form. However, factoring in Revenge, he is the strongest. On pure, raw strength, nobody can stand up to Incineroar. Unfortunately, this doesn’t factor in practical use. We’re not about practicality here on this review series though. Incineroar has roughly 26 kill moves.

Most Stylish Move – I love Incineroar’s side B, but in the interest of discussing different moves, let’s talk about Up B, Cross chop. Incineroar leaps “high” in the air, crosses his arms, and dives forward at the opponent. This does great damage and can actually take out an opponent with you if off stage. It’s a cool move, but the upside is pretty low, especially considering all the finishing moves he has. Still, you might be able to take an opponent trying to foolishly edge guard you. You weren’t making it back anyway.

Moves to Focus On:

Revenge (Down B) – We’ve talked a ton about this move already so I’ll keep it short. Try to use this on the opponent’s strongest moves and really jack up your power level. Also, know upon a successful revenge, you will damage the enemy a little bit. While gimmicks usually aren’t the best, this one is key. Work it into your game.

Irish Whip (Side B) – Here’s a great reason why to use revenge. It’s really one of the few moves Incineroar has that isn’t a Pokémon reference. If Pokemon added some ropes to their battles, I would support it though.

From his side B, Incineroar has three potential follow ups. First is a back throw. I’ve never killed with this move, though it does throw the enemy up very high. It’s also mediocre damage. Not what you want. The second option is miss timing your b button follow-up, taking damage as the opponent hits you. That’s not good at all. You should try not to get that one.

Now the third option is a clothesline. This is a brutal attack that kills early. It also is incredibly strong under revenge. This is a great finisher, and if you have to edge guard, pulling this off by the blast zone is awesome. It’s one of the sickest attacks in the game. It’s half the reason Incineroar is fun.

Juggle Kick (Up Air) – While it’s rare to get a long combo, Incineroar’s Uair does have jiggle potential. It is a quick kick that attacks directly above him and has quick recovery. It’s one of like 2 moves that probably won’t kill, but you know what? It’s possible. People expect Incineroar to go for the kill every time, so this can catch opponents off guard. Situational, but good.

Throat Chop (Forward Tilt) – This might be Incineroar’s best attack. A seemingly plain chop becomes a quick, potential kill move near the edge. Sure, back throw might be easier, but it’s not always easy to grab. Throat chop is much quicker than his smashes, but kills really early. If your opponent is at 100%, you want a grab or this move. Use your jab and other tilts to rack up damage. Keep this fresh and clean.

Splash (Down Smash) – This would be a unique move if K Rool and Ridley didn’t have a similar move. Incineroar hops off the ground, potentially dodging an attack, and counters with a powerful flop. The move is revenge boostable and can be devastating. It’s best use is to read a low attack, as you avoid it and get a frame advantage. Just don’t spam this like crazy. You will get baited and punished. It’s not a great move by the ledge with Incineroar’s crippling recovery either. However, it’s damn fun.

Verdict:

Smash was overdue for a grappler. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Incineroar. However, I don’t see him as main material. There’s a lot of fun heavy characters in the game. He’s no Bowser, DK or Ridley*.The speed is so awful. Still, he’s an enjoyable pull once in a while. In free for all’s, he’s an absolute monster. I’ll give him a respectable 7/10.

And remember, he’s significantly better than shitty Emboar.

*I wouldn’t insult King Dedede by listing him with peons.