Yoshi

General
Yoshi (ヨッシー, Yosshī ) is a major character in the Mario series, and the star of the eponymous Yoshi series. A green dinosaur-like creature, Yoshi is one of many in the species of the same name. Often portrayed as a sidekick to Mario and Luigi, Yoshi's abilities include having a long tongue enabling him to eat almost anything, and being able to transform objects he eats into eggs which he can use as projectile weapons.

Changes from Brawl to Crusade
Apart from minor tweaks to movement and the strength of moves, Yoshi is very similar to his Brawl version. The only major change is that Eggs now work differently. A foe trapped in an egg takes reduced damage as in Brawl, but pops out of the egg after getting hit only once.

Attributes
Many characters in SSBC envy the movement attributes Yoshi posesses. While being among the fastest characters in terms of aerial mobility, Yoshi still maintains high ground speed and above-average jumping prowess thanks to his good initial jump and long-lasting, armored second jump. Due to his high lateral air speed, Yoshi can perform fast, effective short-hop pressure using his Bair, Nair, and well-spaced Fairs. Though Yoshi's air game is arguably highly effective, his ground game is mixed. His Jab and Tilts make quick, effective close-mid-range pokes, but his Smashes and Dash Attack leave much to be desired. While his DSmash is quick and potent, it's easy to punish when guarded, as are his other Smashes and Dash Attack. His grabs are ranged and useful for combos, but a bit on the slow side.

Yoshi's recovery is an interesting case. His second jump travels a far distance vertically and horizontally, lasts a long time, and has Super Armor. In many cases, such as when the second jump is used close to the edge, this makes it difficult to edge-guard or gimp him. However, his Egg Throw doesn't grant a lot of height when used in the air (in spite of the fact that it can be re-used a few times unlike other Up Specials). In addition, Egg Roll does not travel very quickly in the air, limiting his horizontal recovery distance. Overall, Yoshi's recovery is not the best, since he has few options after he loses his second jump.

Yoshi benefits from a technique called "Special Sliding". If Yoshi lands while moving quickly through the air while using his Neutral Special, Egg Lay, he slides a fair distance along the ground while his toungue is out. This allows him to enhance the range at which Egg Lay can hit while potentially retreating from danger. Combined with Yoshi's already effective air-to-ground game, Yoshi's Special Sliding is a powerful offensive and defensive tool near the ground.

Currently, Yoshi is ranked 20th (A tier) in the tier list. His high speed and well-rounded set of normal attacks (particularly in the air) make him a decent choice. Though he doesn't have the greatest recovery, his on-stage game is arguably very solid, and Yoshi has enough tools to fight most any foe.

Yoshi's Normal Moves
Combo


 * Yoshi kicks twice (both 4%).

Side Tilt


 * Yoshi swipes with his tail.

Up Tilt


 * Yoshi sticks his tail upwards, hitting enemies up and towards himself.

Down Tilt


 * Yoshi sweeps his tail along the ground.

Dash Attack


 * Yoshi headbutts in the direction he was dashing.

Side Smash


 * Yoshs does a strong headbutt.

Up Smash


 * Yoshi attacks upward with his head.

Down Smash


 * Yoshi sweeps both directions with his tail.

Neutral Air


 * Yoshi kicks in the direction he is facing.

Forward Air


 * Yoshi swings his head down in the direction he is facing.

Up Air


 * Yoshi pokes upward with his tail.

Back Air


 * Yoshi pokes with his tail behind himself multiple times.

Down Air


 * Yoshi runs in the air, causing damage with his feet.

Forward Throw


 * Yoshi spits out the enemy forward.

Up Throw


 * Yoshi spits out the enemy upward.

Back Throw


 * Yoshi spits out the enemy behind himself.

Down Throw


 * Yoshi spit out the enemy below himself.

Ledge Attack


 * Yoshi gets up from the ledge and sweeps with his tail.

Notable Appearances

 * Super Mario World (1990)


 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995)


 * Yoshi's Story (1997)


 * Yoshi's Island DS (2006)