by Doc, Owner
I just finished filming a Mewtwo amiibo training video in which I tried to lab out whether or not Mewtwo has built-in follow-ups out of Down throw. There wasn’t a chance in hell he would use Down throw, but I did find something highly irregular that I hadn’t expected.
The Mewtwo amiibo can use Disable, his Down special. This is probably somewhat new: when I labbed out Mewtwo in the summer of 2019 I didn’t find the ability to use Disable in his AI. Given that 8.0 and 9.0 have both added fairly complex AI patches to amiibo AI, it’s probable that this was added at some point in that time. So this isn’t something we’ve been able to tap into this whole time.
Disable is a tricky move, and it’s understandable that the AI hasn’t been able to use it without a patch before. The opponent has to be facing Mewtwo (because it’s an “eye contact” move) for it to work, and it can be shielded – but it’s a projectile as well. You can reflect it, and the 16 frame startup means that many reflectors will be able to kick it back.
Having said all that, I think Disable might be a way up from Mewtwo’s abysmal tier list placing. It’s a shield break in a box, so to speak – if you hit it once, your opponent is down for at least about two seconds before being able to respond. As far as I can tell, the AI doesn’t have a follow-up built in, but the benefits of Disable still outweigh the potential costs. I just watched my Mewtwo Disable his opponent, stop for a half-second, and then dash grab into an Up throw for a kill. It’s probably going to be inconsistently used, but it’ll still be far better than what we have now.
My point is that the option for Disable could be a game-changer for Mewtwo, and it should be worked into Mewtwo research if at all possible.
Amiibo Doctor 