Little Mac Guide: Matchup Chart and Combos

This is a guide to using Little Mac in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Little Mac's bread and butter combos, how to unlock, frame data, alt costumes and skins, as well as Little Mac's matchups, counters, and tier list placement can all be found here.

Little Mac Tier and Overview

Stats and General Info

Little Mac
Game Series	Punch-Out!!
Smash Bros. Debut	Super Smash Bros. for WiiU/3DS
Fighter Number	49
Unlock Order	20
Number of Jumps	2
Weight	87 Units (69/87)
Dash Speed	2.464 (3/87)
Air Speed	1.208 (13/87)
Fast Fall Speed	3.12 (2/87)
Special Attributes	Wall Jump

Tier List Placement

Tier

An explosive ground fighter with poor aerial game

Like in Smash 4, Smash Ultimate Little Mac is very strong when fighting on the ground. His extremely high speed and ability to use tilts from a dash help him a lot. Little Mac's moves are fairly quick to come out, and deal significant damage, and he also has armor on many of them to help him break through zoning. Lastly, Little Mac's KO Punch is extremely powerful, allowing him to OHKO many opponents, and it is even unblockable.

However, Little Mac has many weaknesses, mostly due to his abysmal air game. In addition to having one of the worst recoveries in the game (Up Special), Little Mac's aerial attacks are all weak and have poor game, so he has little reason to ever not fight opponents on the ground. Lack of a projectile and aerial ability also means that he fairs poorly against characters with projectiles, as he is very prone to getting camped out. Still, if you can bair and punish your opponent, and mostly stick to stages like Final Destination where there are no platforms, you may have some success with this volatile ground fighter.

See Our Tier List Here!

Little Mac's Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	・Extremely volatile when fighting on the ground ・Can KO extremely early with KO Punch ・Powerful superarmor on many of his moves ・Extremely fast ground mobility
Weaknesses	・Terrible recovery ・Weak and short ranged aerials, which give him bad air game Struggles very hard against camping

LIttle Mac Matchup Chart

Matchup Chart

-2
-1
0
+1
+2

Notes About Matchup Chart

1. -2 = Disadvantage. -1 = Slight Disadvantage or Even. 0 = Even. +1 = Slight Advantage or Even. +2 = Advantage.
2. The matchup chart was based around both the opinions of professional players of each character, as well as our own experience through playing Little Mac.
3. Characters within each tier are unordered
4. Pokemon Trainer's individual Pokemon (Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard) as well as Echo fighters with no significant difference than their regular counterpart are not shown.
5. For other characters who are not shown here, we are still investigating the matchup.

Little Mac Combos

Bread and Butter Combos
Down Tilt→Side Special (30% to 90% only)
Up Tilt (Down Throw)→Up Tilt→Up Special (30% to 40% only)
Up Tilt (Down Tilt)→Up Special (20% to 100% only)
Down Throw→Up Special

Bread and Butter Combo Explanation

Down Tilt→Side Special

Side special comes out very fast and can be used as a pursuing attack to opponents to dodge away.

Up Tilt (Down Throw)→Up Tilt→Up Special

The conditions for this combo to connect (30% to 40%) are limited, but this is a particularly powerful combo in Little Mac's arsenal.

Up Tilt (Down Tilt)→Up Special

This combo will not lead to kills, but it can reliably be connected even at high percents.

Down Throw→Up Special

With down throw, even at high percents, this is little knockback which allows this combo to be connected at various percents.

Little Mac Frame Data and Moveset

Best Out of Shield Options

Move	Frames
Up B	3 Frames
Neutral Air	5 Frames
Up Air	8 Frames
Up Smash	10 Frames
Shield Drop > Jab	12 Frames
Shield Grab	13 Frames
Shield Drop > Down Tilt	14 Frames

Little Mac's poor aerials make his out of sheld game somewhat of a mixed bag. On the one hand, he has Rising Uppercut (up special), which comes out extremeley quick (3 frames), grants intangibility, and can even KO. However, beware that the move will only hit opponents above or right in front of Little Mac, so it won't be able to hit spaced opponents, and whiffing it leaves him very vulnerable. While he does have a few aerials that come out very quickly, such as neutral and up air, they don't grant much benefit when using them, and should largely be avoided.

Up smash also hits in front of and above Little Mac, and also grants super armor, similar to his up special. Since Little Mac's grounded options like jab, down tilt, forward tilt, etc are so fast, often times simply dropping shield and using one of them is his best option outside of moving away to reset neutral.

Jab (Neutral Attack)

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Jab 1 (A)	1.8	1
Jab 2	1.8	1
Jab 3	6	4
Rapid Jab (Multi-Hit)	0.6	4/6/8/10/12/14/16/18/20/22
Rapid Jab (Finisher)	3.6	5

Jab

Little Mac's jab comes out on frame 1, making which is the fastest a move can possibly be. Its quick startup makes it a great get-off-me tool, since it can break combos.

Dash Attack / Tilts

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Dash Attack (Dash ＋ A)	12	7
Forward Tilt (← or → + A)	4.8	4
Forward Tilt 2	9.6	12
Up Tilt (↑ + A)	7.8	4
Down Tilt (↓ + A)	9.6	3

Dash Attack

Little Mac's dash attack has a quick startup and a long duration. Along with its speed, it's mainly used for catching landings, and as a quick tool for whiff punishing and approaching. While it is unsafe if shielded, it can often cross through a shield, making it hard to punish.

Forward Tilt

Little Mac's forward tilt is a two-hit move with a quick startup. The attack is easy to hit and has good range, since it moves a little forward for the second hit. It is very powerful, and can KO at higher percents.

Up Tilt

Little Mac's up tilt has quick startup and good range. It's used as a get-off-me tool at short distance, since it covers Little Mac's entire upper body. Also, depending on the percentage of the opponent, it is possible to hit 2-3 times in a row.

Down Tilt

Little Mac's down tilt has a very quick startup and short end lag. The angle it sends opponents at lower percents is great for comboing into a forward tilt. At higher percents, it can combo into Little Mac's side special. It has decent range, and can be mixed in with dashing toward and away from an opponent to try and pressure their shield.

Smash Attacks

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Forward Smash (High Angle）	24/21.6	14
Forward Smash (Mid Angle）	24/21.6	14
Forward Smash (Low Angle）	28.8	15
Up Smash 1 (Smash ↑ + A)	25.2	10
Up Smash (Late Hit)	19.2	11
Down Smash (Smash ↓ + A)	15.6	10
Down Smash 2	15.6	17

Forward Smash

Little Mac's forward smash can be angled up or down. Angling down is good for dealing raw damage, while not angling it is best for KOs. Angling upward isn't very beneficial, so it won't be used much. Like all of Mac's smash attacks, it grants him super armor during the startup of the move.

Up Smash

Little Mac's up smash deals great damage and has a flame effect. However, when you're up close to an opponent and want to KO, forward smash is typically a better option. It grants super armor during its startup animation.

Down Smash

Little Mac's down smash hits two low hitboxes on both his sides. It's used to try and edgeguard an opponent grabbing the ledge, or to cover a rolling opponent. It also grants super armor before and during both hits.

Aerials

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Air (A + no direction while airborne)	2.4	2
Forward Air (Hold ← or → in the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	6/4.8	10
Back Air (← or → Opposite of the direction you are facing + A while airborne)	7.2/4.8	11
Up Air 1 (↑ + A While Airborne)	6.0/4.8	5
Down Air (↓ + A While Airborne)	6/4.8	7

Neutral Air

Little Mac's neutral air is very quick attack. The move deals very little damage and hitstun, and is generally not worth going for. Use it when as a combo breaker or as a way to get out of hitstun very quickly.

Forward Air

Little Mac's forward air has a slow startup and deals little damage. It doesn't offer much as far as a return when landed, so instead go for side special to hit opponents on platforms.

Back Air

Little Mac's back air is difficult to use due to its weakness and small hitbox. Try not to use it as much as possible.

Up Air

Little Mac's up air is a decent follow-up attack to when your opponent is sent in the air. Use it when a Up Tilt → Up Special combo doesn't connect.

Down Air

Little Mac's down air is difficult to use due to its weakness and small hitbox. Its main application is to try and set up for a jab lock.

Specials

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Neutral Special (B, Charge Animation)	-	32
Neutral Special (B, Uncharged)	14.4	38
Neutral Special (B, Uncharged weak hit)	9.6	32
Neutral Special (B, Max Charge)	36	123
Neutral Special (B, K.O Punch)	42	9
Side Special (Jump Animation)	-	8
Side Special (Swing Animation)	16.8	7
Up Special (Initial Hit)	3.6	6/
Up Special (Tick Damage)	1.2	3
Up Special (Last Hit)	3.6	3
Down Special (↓ + B)	-	5
Down Special (Counter Hit)	?	16

Neutral Special (Straight Lunge/KO Uppercut)

When charging neutral special, Little Mac gains a heavy armor effect. The longer the charge, the stronger the effect becomes, so best to use this attack when your opponents are caught off guard. You can also use this attack when you are in the air, to force your way down to the ground.

Little Mac has a meter that is filled as he takes damage, as well as when he deals it. Once it maxes out, his neutral special becomes the KO Uppercut. This move comes out quickly, and deals massive damage and knockback, KOing many opponents at lower percents. It cannot be shielded, and can even be used to hit opponents standing on platforms. After 4 seconds pass, Little Mac will lose the move if he is sent into tumble, so try and finish off an opponent with it before that happens.

Side Special (Jolt Haymaker)

Little Mac's side special is used for recovery or as a get-off-me tool. It grants momentary intagibility during startup on the ground, so make use of it. Also, you can punch early, if you press the special button during the jump.

Up Special (Rising Uppercut)

Little Mac's up special has very quick startup, so you can use it to try and approach or break a combo, thanks to its intangibility. It is used as a recovery move to recover from under the ledge, although it offers poor vertical distance, and is considered to be one of the worst recoveries in the game.

Down Special (Slip Counter)

Little Mac's down special is a counter. The stronger the attack received, the stronger the counterattack will be. It's a great defensive move, as it also covers attacks from behind. It can be used to edgeguard characters who recover low and have a hitbox on their recovery.

Grab / Throws

	1v1 Damage (%)	Startup Frames
Pummel	1.2	1
Grab (Normal)	-	9
Dash Grab	-	13
Pivot Grab	-	14
Forward Throw (Hitbox) (← or → While Grabbing)	4.8	15
Forward Throw (Throw)	4.8	17
Back Throw (Throw)	6	19
Up Throw (Hitbox) (↑ While Grabbing)	4.8	10
Up Throw (Throw)	3.6	12
Down Throw (Hitbox) (↓ While Grabbing)	4.8	14
Down Throw (Throw)	3.6	16

Forward Throw

Little Mac punches his opponents forward. It's mostly used to put an opponent offstage to try and edgeguard them.

Back Throw

Little Mac punches his opponents behind him. Like forward throw, it's mostly used to put an opponent offstage to try and edgeguard them.

Up Throw

Little Mac performs an uppercut on his opponent. Since Little Mac has poor aerial game, it is not a very useful tool, although it can be used to put characters with bad disadvantage into the air, allowing you to catch their landing.

Down Throw

Little Mac punches his opponent downward, slightly launching them into the air. It can be comboed into an up tilt or forward tilt.

Final Smash

Attack	How to Use	Effect
Giga Mac Rush	Press B after obtaining the Smash Ball	Little Mac turns into Giga Mac, and performs an uppercut on the opponent to send them in the air. Afterward, he will perform multiple punches before delivering a final blow, which does heavy damage and knockback.

Little Mac Balance Changes

Version 13.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Up Tilt Attack	Extended the duration of an opponent's animation when they are struck by this attack.
Side Smash Attack	Increased power against shields when using the move with down input.
Neutral Special	Extended launch distance. Reduced vulnerability when using the move on the ground. Increased speed so it will be faster to use the move. Made so the second button press can be input in advance.
Up Special	Extended launch distance of the last attack.
Down Special	Increased the amount that attack power will increase.

Version 11.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Up Smash	Increased the amount of active frames.

Version 8.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Basic Movements	The amount of time for breaking falls backward now aligns with other fighters.
Attack when Getting Up	The vulnerability for attacking when getting up now aligns with other fighters.

Version 7.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Other	Increased shield size.

Version 4.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Neutral Attack 3	Depending on the timing of continuing from neutral attack 2 to neutral attack 3, neutral attack 3 will no longer decrease vulnerability.

Version 3.1.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Neutral Attack 1	Reduced vulnerability. Made it easier to hit multiple times when continuing with Neutral Attack 2.
Neutral Attack 2	Reduced vulnerability. Increased attack range.
Neutral Attack 3	Increased attack range.
Side Tilt Attack	Made it easier to hit multiple times when hitting an airborne opponent.
Down Tilt Attack	Increased attack range.
Up Smash Attack	Increased the amount of time super armor lasts.
Neutral Special	Reduced vulnerability when using the move on the ground when it is not fully charged. Reduced vulnerability when using KO Uppercut on the ground.
Side Special	Increased the range at the beginning of the move.
Down Special	Reduced vulnerability.

Version 2.0.0 Balance Patch

	Change
Neutral Air Attack	Shortened the landing time and the amount of time you cannot grab edges after using the move.
Up Air Attack	Shortened the amount of time you cannot grab edges after using the move.

Major Changes From Smash 4

	Change
Side Special (← or → + B)	Travels less distance. No longer leaves Mac helpless after using, but he cannot use it again until touching the ground or grabbing the ledge.
Down Special (↓ + B)	The size of the counter is slightly reduced. Nerf.
Neutral B (B)	Charge can be canceled by shielding, and can be reversed to go the opposite direction. If KO Punch is used in the air, Little Mac moves significantly in the direciton of the punch.

How to Unlock Little Mac

Unlocking Via Smash Mode
20th Fighter Unlocked After unlocking Zero Suit Samus, let 10 minutes pass OR play another battle in smash after soft-resetting OR return to the menu from World of Light
Unlocking via Classic Mode
Clear Classing Mode 3 times using Mario.
Unlocking via World of Light
Lumiose City (After clearing the Power Plant)

There are three ways to unlock Little Mac. Completing any of these, then defeating Little Mac when they appear in the “a New Challenger Appears” screen will allow you to use them afterward.

How to Unlock Characters Fast

Little Mac Alt Costumes and Skins

Little Mac Reveal Trailer

Smash Ultimate Character Guides

List of Fighters
Tier List	Unlocking Fighters

Character Stat Lists

Character Stats
Weights of All Characters	Run Speeds of All Characters
Air Speeds of All Characters	Fast Fall Speeds of All Characters