He looks innocent. That’s the trap. When Masahiro Sakurai first announced the Villager Super Smash Bros debut back in 2013, the internet collectively lost its mind because the character looked so... peaceful. You’ve got this kid with a bobblehead and a vacant stare entering a fray against literal gods and intergalactic bounty hunters. But then the matches started. People realized that the "Mayor" of Animal Crossing wasn't just there to pick weeds. He was there to ruin your day with a bowling ball and a pocket full of your own projectiles.
Honestly, playing as the Villager is a psychological game as much as it is a mechanical one. If you’re just spamming side-B and hoping for the best, you’re missing the point of the character’s design. Villager is a zoner, sure, but he’s a zoner with one of the most disrespectful kits in the entire roster. He doesn't just keep you away; he punishes you for trying to play the game at all.
The Pocket Mechanic Is Broken (In a Good Way)
Let's talk about the Pocket. It’s arguably the most unique move in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It isn't just a reflect or a shield. It’s a theft. When you use Neutral-B, you snatch an item or a projectile out of the air and store it for later. This fundamentally changes the "flow state" of a match. You’re playing against a Samus? Her Charge Shot is now yours. You’re fighting Link? That bomb he just threw is sitting in your back pocket, waiting for the perfect moment to be returned to sender with a 1.9x damage multiplier.
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The complexity here is deep. Most people don't realize that you can pocket things that aren't even projectiles in the traditional sense. You can pocket Ryu's Hadoken, but you can also pocket a tree you just chopped down yourself. You can even pocket another Villager's pocketed item. It gets weird. There’s a certain level of dread that settles over an opponent when they realize their best kill option is currently being held hostage by a smiling kid in a red shirt.
Controlling the Stage with Horticulture
Villager’s Down-B, the Timber move, is a three-stage commitment. First, you plant the seed. Then you water it. Then you chop it. It sounds slow. It is slow. But the mere presence of a sprouting sapling on the stage forces your opponent to respect a zone they otherwise wouldn't care about.
If they stand near the tree, they risk getting hit by the axe—which, by the way, is one of the fastest and most deceptively powerful kill moves in Villager’s kit. If they stay away, you’ve successfully partitioned the stage. Expert players like Kept have shown that the tree isn't just for damage; it’s a physical barrier that can block projectiles or provide cover for a Lloid Rocket setup.
Why The Slingshot Is Your Best Friend
You’re going to be using the slingshot. A lot. Villager’s forward-air and back-air are both slingshot pellets. They don't do massive damage individually, but they are the ultimate tool for "walling out" an opponent. It’s annoying. It’s tedious. It works.
The pellets have a "sweet spot" at the very beginning of their flight path. If you hit someone point-blank with a back-air, it has surprising knockback. But mostly, you’re using these to harass. You’re jumping, retreating, and firing. Jumping, advancing, and firing. It’s a rhythmic style of play that can tilt even the most stoic tournament veterans. If you aren't comfortable with "shorthop" aerials, you aren't ready to play Villager Super Smash Bros at a high level. You have to be able to pepper the enemy with rocks while staying just out of reach of their sword or fists.
The Recovery That Never Ends
Let’s be real: Villager’s recovery is ridiculous. The Balloon Trip (Up-B) goes so far it almost feels like cheating. You can be at the very bottom of the blast zone and still make it back to the ledge with fuel to spare.
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But there’s a catch. The balloons can be popped.
If you’re playing against a character with a lingering hitbox, like Kirby’s Neutral-B or anyone with a good projectile, you’re vulnerable. You have to mix up your recovery timing. Don't just hold "up" and pray. Drift left, drift right, drop low, or go high. The balloons give you the distance, but your brain has to provide the safety.
Managing the Lloid Rocket
Side-B is the Lloid Rocket. Most beginners use it as a projectile. They fire it, it travels across the screen, and the opponent shields it. That’s fine, but it’s basic. The real magic happens when you ride the rocket.
By holding the button, Villager hops on top. This turns the move into a recovery tool, a burst movement option, and a command grab of sorts. If the rocket hits while you're riding it, it deals way more knockback. It’s also great for recovering horizontally if your balloons are at risk of being popped.
One thing to watch out for: if the rocket is reflected while you’re on it, you’re in trouble. You’ll take the damage and likely lose a stock at high percentages. It’s a high-risk, high-reward maneuver that separates the casual fans from the people who actually know how to pilot the Mayor.
The Lethal Bowling Ball
Villager’s forward-smash is a bowling ball dropped over the ledge. It is, quite simply, one of the best edge-guarding tools in the game. It ignores gravity once it leaves your hands.
If an opponent is trying to recover vertically—think Ike or Chrom—you just stand at the edge and drop the ball. The timing is tight, but once you nail it, it’s a guaranteed kill at mid-to-high percentages. It catches people off guard because most smash attacks stay on the stage. This one goes on a journey.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Stop using the dash attack too much. The "tripping" pot-smash looks funny, but the end-lag is atrocious. If your opponent shields it, you’re going to get punished with a full combo. It’s a niche tool for catching rolls, not a primary approach option.
Another issue? Over-reliance on the tree. If you spend the whole match trying to grow a tree, you’re going to get rushed down. Use the tree as a threat, not a requirement. Sometimes just planting the seed is enough to make an opponent play differently, which is exactly what you want.
You also need to stop forgetting about the grab. Villager has a bug net. It’s slow, yes. It has a lot of startup frames. But the range is decent, and Villager’s back-throw is a legitimate kill move near the ledge. If they’re shielding all your slingshot pellets, run up and bag 'em.
Learning from the Pros
If you want to see what this character looks like at its peak, watch VODs of players like Kept or Panda Bair. They don't just play Smash; they play a game of resource management. They track exactly what is in their pocket. They know the exact pixels of the tree's hitbox.
There’s a nuance to how they use the "grab" to catch items out of the air. In Ultimate, you can catch things like Diddy Kong’s banana or Peach’s turnip just by pressing the grab button in the air. Incorporating this into your movement makes you feel less like a zoner and more like a thief who uses the environment against everyone else.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Match
If you want to improve your Villager Super Smash Bros game tonight, start by focusing on these three specific drills:
- The Slingshot Retreat: Go into training mode. Practice jumping backward while firing your forward-air (slingshot) toward the center of the stage. You should be able to do this repeatedly without losing ground or getting hit.
- The Pocket Reflex: Have a CPU (like Samus or Link) spam projectiles. Practice the timing of the Pocket (Neutral-B) so it becomes muscle memory. You want to be able to snatch a projectile the moment it enters your space.
- Ledge Bowling: Set a CPU to recover from below the stage. Practice the exact positioning at the ledge to drop the bowling ball (Forward-Smash) so it hits their head just as they lose their invincibility frames.
Villager is not a "top tier" character in the traditional sense. He isn't Steve or Joker. But in the right hands, he is a nightmare. He thrives on frustration. He wins by making the opponent make mistakes because they’re sick of getting hit by rocks and sticks. Embrace the chaos, keep that vacant stare, and remember that every item on the stage belongs to you—they just don't know it yet.
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Go into the lab and work on the shorthop slingshot. It’s the foundation of everything. Once you can move fluently while keeping a wall of projectiles in front of you, the rest of Villager's "weird" kit starts to make a lot more sense. Don't be afraid to play "lame." In the world of competitive Smash, "lame" is just another word for "winning through superior positioning."