Mewtwo Guides

MEWTWO Guide

To be honest, no one in Smash would have a chance against Mewtwo if the Pokémon had its full strength. Just a slight effort would be enough for the psychic abilities to hold opponents still and for the telekinesis to throw them far away from the platforms. The game is over; Mewtwo wins. 

Thank goodness, it’s not the case with SSBU! The creature has decided to limit its incredible might to keep the game balanced and fun. So now, we need to learn how to play Mewtwo in Smash Ultimate — like all the other characters (for example, Lucina in our recent guide).

Mew vs Mewtwo

The story of Mewtwo started in those ancient times when Pokémon was a fresh franchise. You could get the creature into your Pokédex in the games Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow — go to the Cerulean Cave after defeating the main boss for a chance to capture Mewtwo. 

It’s a unique creature, as it was created by scientists. They took the DNA of the Legendary Pokémon Mew and decided to upgrade the code. As a result, they got an overpowered Pokémon who destroyed the laboratory and threatened the whole world. Only its direct conflict against Mew stopped that madness.

To dive deeper into the origins of this Pokémon, treat yourself to watching the film Mewtwo Strikes Back. It is a great step to take if you want to know who you actually play in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Mewtwo appears in many other games and anime.

How to Unlock Mewtwo in SSBU

In Smash Ultimate, Mewtwo is an unlockable character. You can get it:

• In the Adventure Mode, World of Light
• VS. matches — it’s the 60th fighter
• In the Classic Mode while playing Fox or anyone he unlocks. Mewtwo is the last one to appear.

Mewtwo’s Playstyle

In the game, Mewtwo is considered a mid-tier character. It is surprisingly lightweight as for its size, and it’s both an advantage and a weakness. Mewtwo is rather quick on the ground and especially in the air. But also, it’s easy for opponents to launch and even KO it.

The Aerial Game is where Mewtwo shines. It is floaty and has strong Air attacks. Mewtwo is brilliant in chasing opponents away from the platforms thanks to its Teleport recovery and Back Air.

It is relatively easy to combo with Mewtwo, and you will have many different options here. One of its best combo starters is Down Tilt — then, you can experiment with follow-ups.

Another feature of Mewtwo to mention is its extreme power. Its Forward Smash and Forward Air are great killing tools. 

The general fighting style of Mewtwo is defensive, bait and punish. It is pretty good at zoning (Shadow Ball) and neutral games. But when Mewtwo loses in these aspects, it becomes vulnerable as its size and weight turn out to be significant disadvantages in such situations.

While keeping a distance, you should look for the opponent’s mistakes. Mewtwo has great punishing options.

Mewtwo’s Neutrals and Tilts

This SSBU character has pretty solid normal attacks.

• Jab is a single hit that can be followed by a series of hits (rapidly press A). It is good for building damage. The series of hits finishes with a good knockback, so you can use it near the ledge to launch the opponent.
• Dash Attack hits harder when you activate it right near the victim. In this case, it’s a good launching/killing option. If you activate Dash Attack a bit earlier, the damage is smaller but the knockback also is not that big — you could coin some follow-up ideas. For example, you can use Forward Air on small percentages.
• Forward Tilt is a very strong attack. It’s able to kill when used near the ledge to launch/kill the opponent. The move is rather slow, so use it carefully — mainly as a punishment tool. It’s not a combo starter, but F Tilt knocks the opponent down.
• Down Tilt has a great range. This attack starts many combos of Mewtwo — especially when you activate D Tilt really close to the opponent. In general gameplan, it’s a good tool for zoning. It’s unsafe on block, though.
• Up Tilt is a good anti-air option. It’s also a combo starter that can be followed by itself and Air attacks. The attack can kill at high percentages. Players use it to catch landings.

SSBU Mewtwo’s Aerials

Thanks to its floaty nature, Mewtwo is very strong at the aerial game.

• Neutral Air is a multi-hitting move that affects opponents around Mewtwo. It is possible to add N Air to combos and even start one with it, followed by Up Smash. It’s one of the fastest attacks of Mewtwo, with only 7 frames of startup. N Air is a good out-of-shield option.
• Forward Air is the same quick as N Air. It is both a great combo filler and a KO option.
• Back Air is effective for edgeguarding. It KOs early while used offstage. At high percentages, B Air kills near the ledge. Its weakness is high startup lag (13 frames). It is possible to use a few Back Air offstage, and Mewtwo will still recover.
• Up Air is an awesome option for the aerial game. You can add this attack to many combos — for example, for juggling.
• Down Air deals big damage but has a long startup (15 frames). It can combo into Tilts (low percentages) and Air attacks (mid percentages).

Mewtwo’s Throws

• Forward Throw deals good damage and is used for pushing the opponent away. It has a low endlag, so you can try to proceed with dash and other attacks.
• Back Throw is very good for edgeguarding and also very damaging. After throwing your opponent offstage, you can use various Air attacks, and specifically Back Air.
• Up Throw is another damaging tool for Mewtwo. It can be followed by Up Tilt and Up Air — use Up Throw to start juggling.
• Down Throw has only situational follow-ups. It can be Up Tilt with low percentages and F Air with mid percentages. In general, Mewtwo’s Down Throw has a long endlag, so the follow-ups depend on the opponent’s actions — for example, when they attempt directional influence.

Mewtwo’s Special Attacks in SSBU

• Neutral Special — Shadow Ball. It’s a chargeable attack that can be cancelled mid-process. You don’t need to charge it fully to use the ball for combos. Mewtwo can run towards the opponent, covered by the Shadow Ball. It’s an interesting tool to fool your opponent by charging the Ball, seeing them using the shield, and then canceling N Special and coming for punishment.
• Side Special — Confusion. This command grab can be used right after landing and recovering. At high percentages, it combos into F Air or Up Tilt.
• Up Special — Teleport. Mewtwo is invulnerable while using this move/recovery (from frame 9). Still, Teleport has a long endlag after appearing in the air.
• Down Special — Disable. It’s a useful tool to stun your opponent and then perform a powerful attack, which is risky in other situations. The Disable itself is a risky move. It works only when the opponent faces Mewtwo. It’s a projectile, so it can be reflected.

Smash Attacks of Mewtwo

• Forward Smash is the strongest attack for Mewtwo, but it’s also very slow and can be easily punished. You should feel proper moments for using it safely.
• Up Smash is a good, very fast anti-air and out-of-shield option. You can use it in situational combos — on high percentages, after Falling Neutral Air. A long endlag makes the attack punishable on whiff. 
• Down Smash of Mewtwo is one of a few in the game that affects opponents only on one side. It’s relatively quick and very powerful. It’s a very good punishing tool.
• For Final Smash, Psystrike, Mewtwo turns into Mega Mewtwo Y and launches a sphere of dark energy. It can kill at 50%.

How to play against Mewtwo

Keep in mind the biggest advantages of this character: its great aerial game and the ability to punish. 

Depending on your character, you might want to keep the fight on the platforms and avoid offstage situations. Mewto might have problems with the same floaty opponents who are strong in its area.

It is very important to have a good neutral game against Mewtwo to not give him a chance to perform its super damaging attacks.

Mewtwo might struggle at close-range fights when you break its zoning tools.

Some of Mewtwo’s favorable matchups:

Some of Mewtwo’s bad matchups:

Guys, this SSBU guide contains quite a lot of information. It’s rather a basis for you to feel the character and know what to practice with Mewtwo. No guide can make you a better player — but your own efforts can. Guides just show the direction for self-improvement.

DashFight has quite a few of such guides. For example, you can check out our Smash Ultimate Guide for beginners.

Also, these tips on how to get better at SSBU might be very helpful.

Keep practicing, and you will unleash the true power of Mewtwo or any other fighter. Practice makes perfect!