Clairen Up Special Edgecancel

Clairen’s Up Special gives her a horizontal momentum boost after the second hit. Combined with her above average air acceleration, this means she’s one of the best characters at edgecancelling her recovery. This is valuable as being able to edgecancel out of your pratfall can provide you with some unique recovery mixups, such as wavelanding back onto the stage or drifting back and approaching the ledge a second time with your resources refreshed.

In this guide we will cover how to edgecancel your recovery from various heights as you approach the stage. For all variations of shown you will need to drift forward until the end of the second hit. Inputs are shown in each clip if you’re struggling, so use these as a quick reference as you attempt these recoveries for yourself. Hitting the opponent with your Up Special will slightly alter the timing, however each example will still be possible to perform.

Off the Wall Copied to clipboard

The safest way to edgecancel Up Special is to avoid riding the wall and using both hits above stage height so that you end up decently far in from the edge. You can then use the horizontal boost backwards with much less risk of an SD. You build up enough momentum as you drift back that you’ll slide slightly as you land, so don’t worry if you don’t position yourself perfectly for these.

Wallride Copied to clipboard

Edgecancelling after a wallride is slightly riskier, but it’s a very common position to be in when recovering so this variant might be the most useful one to master. It is usually performed by using both hits above stage height after riding up the wall, and leaving the stick in a neutral position during the horizontal boost window before immediately drifting back.

From Ledge Copied to clipboard

If you begin your Up Special from higher up, the method is very similar to doing a wallride. Avoid the horizontal boost and drift backwards, however. You will often need to start drifting back later than with the wallride variant.

Note: performing the second hit of your Up Special at this height may leave you vulnerable as you drift back towards the ledge, so keep in mind your opponent’s position when using this variation.

Perfectly Spaced Copied to clipboard

This final variant is the hardest to pull off by far, but arguably the safest due to the minimal airtime above the ledge making it difficult to counter. Use only the final hit above stage height, then use the horizontal boost inwards before drifting back.

Once you’ve started mastering this technique, there’s no need to follow these guidelines anymore. The ultimate goal is to be able to pull it off freely, from any position, at any time.