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This article is about Black Mage's appearance in Super Smash Flash 2. For general information about the character, see Black Mage.

Black Mage is a newcomer starter character in Super Smash Flash 2. Black Mage is the first bonus character to appear in SSF2, as his appearance was not slated for the game's initial planification. His sprites are custom-made and based on his appearance in FINAL FANTASY. He mainly uses devastating black magic to combat his opponents, but as an extra, he also uses Blue and Summon Magic, as seen in his "Goblin Punch" and "Chocobo Kick" attacks.

Black Mage is ranked 17th on the current tier list, placing him in the A tier. Black Mage is one of the best edgeguarders in the game due to the large variety of tools he can use to cover almost any attempt to guard break him. He has good range with several disjointed attacks, powerful combos a solid aerial game, including an excellent damage-racking option in his neutral aerial, and a very strong grab game; he also possesses a command grab with a large range that can hit most downed opponents, and a variety of KO moves in his forward smash, up smash, dash attack, back aerial, down aerial (when the meteor smash is active), forward and back throws and Haste. Black Mage has the unique ability to change the form of his smash attacks by fully charging them, effectively increasing their range and even turning two of them into projectiles. Lastly, he can use Stop to stop the opponent in place for a while, making them vulnerable to kill-confirms, and even reflect a projectile.

However, Black Mage has a rather weak neutral game due to his over-reliance on forward aerial, forward tilt, forward smash, and back aerial. Similarly, most of his finishers are rather slow and his combos, while dealing a lot of damage, are easy to drop, giving him a steeper learning curve due to a greater emphasis on precision and reading the opponent. Black Mage has only average mobility overall, allowing faster characters such as Captain Falcon and Fox to outpace him. Moreover, he has difficulty fighting against characters with greater reach than his or those possessing lots of disjointed hitboxes that outrange him, such as Lloyd and Donkey Kong. Black Mage is also brought down by his recovery, which covers a long distance, but is very predictable and easy to gimp, as he is effectively open to attacks until he gets his teleport into place. He also has below average accelerated falling speed, which allows him to be KO'd vertically early.

Though his strengths are not to be underestimated, his learning curve is steep and only players who have truly mastered the character can use him effectively. Black Mage's array of problems have only become increasingly more apparent as the meta has developed. He also has disadvantageous matchups against most of the higher-ranked characters, keeping him out of higher tiers.

Attributes[]

MG icon See also: Black Mage (Super Smash Flash 2)/Hard data

Black Mage uses devastating black magic in his attacks. Black Mage is a medium-weight character with below average accelerated falling speed, who has good range in most of his attacks with many of them having disjointed range. He has KO moves in his forward and up smash, dash attack (which grants him Super Armor), forward throw, back throw, back air, down air, and Haste. His fully-charged smash attacks cover great distances, for instance, his down smash makes it difficult for opponents to land or can force them into the air or into shield, setting them up to be grabbed or walled out with forward aerials; his forward smash is a large projectileand is great for making it difficult for opponents to recover, as well as also being an outstanding kill move and combo tool; as for his up smash, it has great potential to KO opponents early off the ceiling of the stage and has impressive vertical range that can even hit opponents on the top platforms of Battlefield or Galaxy Tours. Black Mage has good priority and reach in his aerials giving him a solid aerial game with his neutral aerial being an outstanding combo starter, forward aerial being a good combo extender and approach tool, back aerial being an excellent combo extender and KO move, up aerial being useful for juggles, and down aerial having great potential to kill opponents early especially when sweetspotted

Black Mage is one of the best edgeguarders in the game and his guard is hard to break. Black Mage can use Stop to freeze and reflect projectiles giving him a way to nullify most characters projectile camping; it also paralyzes his opponents who come in contact leaving them open(depending on how long stop has been charged). Ironically, he himself also suffers from being easy to edgeguard, and being offstage is a very disadvantageous position for Black Mage to be in especially against characters with great edge games such as Lloyd.

Black Mage has a good grab game, despite possessing the seventh shortest grab in the current demo. His down throw can potentially chain into itself and set up tech chases, two kill throws in his forward throw and back throw, and his up throw being a good combo starter; he also possesses a command grab with a large range that can hit most downed opponents. He is also able to chain grab with his down throw at low percents and can allow him to rack up a lot of damage on his opponent. His up throw can be a good combo starter. His forward and back throw can kill at high percentages and his forward throw can set up his excellent edge guarding ability.

However, Black Mage suffers from average mobility which allows characters with better mobility to rush him down. (ex. Captain Falcon and Fox). Even with having a pseudo wavedash; due to Black Mage's high traction it is very short and not very useful for mobility.

Warp, although giving him a long recovery, is easily predictable because the opponent knows where he is going to land based on the green circle, and can punish him easily for recovering.

He has problems dealing with characters who can really camp him out and Stop can only reflect one projectile on one side at a time. A prime example of this would be Fox's Blaster; Fox's Blaster is fast, can be spammed, covers a good distance and does not make the opponent flinch so even when reflected it will not deter Fox from projectile camping Black Mage. Also combined with his poor mobility gives him less options on how to prevent camping.

Black Mage also has low accelerated falling speed, which makes him more susceptible to getting KO'd off the top boundary than most characters. He also has problems dealing with characters who posses better range and high priority attacks.

Moveset[]

Ground attacks[]

Attack Description Damage
Neutral attack Throws a right-handed jab, followed by a left-handed jab. Has short range and weak knockback. Both hits can jab lock. 2%
5%
Forward tilt Swings his staff downwards in front of him. Has fairly low startup lag and disjointed range, serving as a get-off-me move. 8%
Up tilt Enlarges his fist, turning it green, and punches above himself in an arc. Covers a large area behind him and can start combos into many grounded or aerial attacks, including itself, particularly against fast-fallers. Based on Goblin Punch, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY IV. 9%
Down tilt Stabs with a knife while crouching. Short-ranged but quick, and it moves him slightly forward. Launches at a low angle and can hit opponents hanging from a ledge. 7%
Dash attack Turns himself to stone before falling onto the floor. Slow startup, but powerful and nearly horizontal knockback. Grants him super armor before he falls. Based on the Petrify status effect, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY. 14%
8%
Forward smash Fires a bolt of lightning from his hands onto the ground in front of him. Very strong knockback with a long duration, in addition to being fairly quick for a smash attack. Very effective for edgeguarding and against opponents at a ledge. Based on Thunder, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY.

When fully charged, he instead creates a large pillar of lightning that advances slowly across the entire stage, disappearing and reappearing at set intervals. Very good range and high damage and knockback, allowing for strong stage control and follow-ups when hitting opponents into the pillar. However, it also counts as a projectile, and thus can be reflected. Based on Thundaga, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY.
14.5%
10%
28%
Up smash Performs a rising fiery uppercut. One of his strongest KO moves, in addition to comboing at low percents due to its large hitbox and little startup and ending lag. Based on Fire, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY.

When fully charged, he instead creates two pillars of fire on either side that move towards him, creating a bigger flame when they collide. Opponents hit by the pillars are dragged toward Black Mage to be launched by the final hit. Deals high damage when landing all hits, and the final hit has a tall hitbox. Based on Firaga, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY.
15%
1.4%
21%
14%
Down smash Creates ice crystals on the floor in front of and then behind him. Freezes opponents hit. Based on Blizzard, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY.

When fully charged, he instead creates larger ice crystals that travel across the platform in each direction until reaching an edge. Based on Blizzaga, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY.
9%
14%

Aerial attacks[]

Attack Description Damage
Neutral aerial Spins around while surrounded with fire, hitting up to eight times. One of his safest and most versatile moves, lasting a long duration and having little startup or ending lag, as well as having slightly disjointed hitboxes that completely surround him. Useful for pressuring in neutral, starting or extending combos, racking up damage, and landing safely, among other uses. 1.5%
2%
Forward aerial Turns one his legs into a Chocobo leg and kicks forwards. Has solid range in front of him but also extends his hurtbox. It also boosts him forward slightly and can be used to pseudo wavedash. A solid combo extender that can also combo into itself, as well as Haste, making it useful for edgeguarding. Based on Chocobo Kick, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY III. 9%
Back aerial Stabs behind him with a knife. Has low startup lag and a disjointed hitbox. Lasts a considerable duration, with the early hit being a powerful semi-spike to force opponents off-stage. The late hit can be used for combos. 9%
6%
Up aerial Fires a stream of water upwards. Hits up to four times with solid upward range. Good for juggling and racking up damage, but the four hits are inconsistent to connect. Based on Flood, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY VI. 5%
2%
5%
Down aerial Swipes downwards in an arc with a scythe. Has considerable startup but large disjointed range and meteor smashes opponents hit from below or in front, with the back hit being a semi-spike. When hitting opponents when the scythe flashes red, Death will appear hovering near the opponent for about three seconds before striking, serving as a powerful meteor smash as well if not dodged or shielded. This makes it useful for pressuring opponents, punishing them after being hit or avoiding the hit, or timing a meteor smash after being launched or thrown. Based on Death, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY. 8%
10%
8%
6%

Grab and throws[]

Attack Description Damage
Grab Reaches out with one hand. N/A
Pummel Stabs the opponent with a knife. 1%
Forward throw Creates a small tornado to lift the opponent up, then hurls them forward. Launches horizontally with strong knockback. Based on Aero, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY III. 1%
3%
Back throw Causes a pillar of rock to jut out of the ground from behind, launching the opponent. Has high knockback and can KO at high percents. Based on Quake, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY. 8%
Up throw Changes his hat into a Cactuar and pelts the opponent with a stream of needles. Low knockback, making it a good combo starter that can chain grab fast-fallers. Based on 1000 Needles, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY V. 2%
4%
Down throw Poisons the opponent with his staff, gradually dealing 18% total damage over time. Throwing an already poisoned opponent does not poison them again. Based on Bio, first introduced in FINAL FANTASY III. 2%
1%

Other attacks[]

Attack Description Damage
Floor attack Swings his staff in front of and then behind himself. 5%
Ledge attack Thrusts his staff forward as he climbs up. 7%

Special moves[]

Attack Name Description Damage
Neutral special move Stop Creates a circle around him that he pushes outward, paralyzing opponents and reflecting projectiles that make contact. Can be charged for longer paralysis, creating up to six smaller circles with Roman numerals indicating the level of charge. Shielding while charging will allow him to store the charge until using the move again while uncharged. He can also move left or right when using the move in midair. A strong option due to its ability to follow up into other moves, such as tilt attacks and up smash when uncharged, and fully charged smash attacks when fully charged. However, its long startup and short duration makes it very punishable. N/A
Side special move Haste Creates a small circle acting as a grabbox a set distance in front of him, trapping an opponent who makes contact with it before it disappears. Once trapped, he appears next to them and hits them multiple times with his fists and staff before rushing into them and launching them with the last hit. A powerful finisher, but has considerable ending lag if missed and requires good spacing to land, as the grabbox only covers the circle. It also stalls Black Mage momentarily when used in midair, and if missed he cannot use it again until landing. 2%
1%
7%
Up special move Warp Conjures a green ring that can be moved around when holding the special input. After releasing the input or after a certain period of time, he teleports to the ring. Travels a massive distance at maximum, with the circle traveling farther vertically than horizontally. Although the distance is very large for a recovery move, Black Mage remains completely defenseless while moving the circle. He also slowly descends while using it in midair. He becomes helpless after teleporting, though when teleporting onto the ground, he reappears with minimal ending lag. N/A
Down special move Meteor Summons a meteor from the ground which rises up and then falls diagonally downward, exploding on impact. Holding the input charges the meteor, causing it to rise higher, grow bigger, and deal more damage and knockback. When used in midair, the meteor does not rise when charging until he lands. Its trajectory can also be slightly angled up or down. A powerful projectile when charged, but it is slow to be released and can be easily clanked with at low charges. 5%
Final Smash Warriors of Light Calls forth a Warrior and Thief to his side, with the Warrior dashing forward and the Thief leaping forward. If either hit an opponent, they will be trapped as a White Mage is summoned, using Holy to rack up large damage on the opponents before Black Mage finally launches them with Flare, dealing massive knockback. 16%
14%
2%
26%

Misc.[]

Misc. Description
On-screen appearance Gets chosen from a list of FINAL FANTASY classes and jumps onto the arena. Based on the character creation screen from the original FINAL FANTASY.
Taunts Neutral Spins and raises a hand into the air while some fanfare from the FINAL FANTASY victory theme plays.
Side Faces front towards the camera, then raises his arms victoriously.
Down/Up Plays the FINAL FANTASY theme on a lute. If under the effect of a Metal Box, however, a metal remix of the FINAL FANTASY victory theme plays.
Idle pose Scratches his nose.
Victory theme A remix of the victory theme from the FINAL FANTASY series.
Victory pose Jumps onto his floating scepter and folds his arms while a large red, yellow, green, or blue crystal orbits around him; the color varies depending on which player slot the Black Mage was in.

Changes from v0.9a[]

MG icon Main article: Black Mage (Super Smash Flash 2)/Changelog

Black Mage has received a mix of buffs and nerfs. Black Mage benefits from the lower hitstun due to being less susceptible to combos while being able to combo like last demo. Black Mage is seen as a more effective character.

Ground attacks[]

  • Buff Dash attack does more knockback.
    • Buff The super armor granted on the move last longer and does not end until Black Mage is up after a few frames.
  • Buff Fully charged up smash is stronger.

Aerial attacks[]

  • Buff Forward aerial does more knockback.

Grab and throws[]

  • Buff Back throw is stronger.

Special moves[]

  • Nerf Stop has more ending lag.

In competitive play[]

Match ups[]

Notable players[]

  • Corvid
  • Drarky

Tier placement history[]

Initially, Black Mage was considered to be the best character in the game upon his introduction in demo v0.7, due to his disproportionately strong attacks and high kill power. However, in the weeks that followed, he was severely nerfed, causing him to fall to the bottom of the tier list. In demo v0.9a, he finally crawled out of the low tiers due to a number of buffs he received. In demo v0.9b, he was initially seen as a very strong character, placing 8th overall. However, as the meta progressed, his flaws became increasingly more visible, causing him to fall six places, from the top to the bottom of A tier.

In Super Smash Flash 2 Beta, Black Mage has fallen from his place as a mid-tier character from 0.9b, now ranking 31st on the tier list out of 39, placing him in the middle of C+ tier just above Sonic and Bandana Dee and being a low-tier. Despite the buffs he received, Black Mage is still hindered by the changes to the metagame, and later falls 39th out of 40 characters, causing him to be a bottom tier character again. In the 1.3.0 tier list, with new characters in the game, Black Mage rose to 34th, going from the second worst character to the bottom part of the mid tier.

Gallery[]

Costumes[]

SSF2 Black Mage Costumes

Artworks[]

Screenshots[]

Early designs[]

Misc.[]

Trivia[]

  • Black Mage is the only character whose fully charged smash attacks function completely differently from his uncharged smash attacks.
  • Black Mage could be unlocked in demo v0.7 by playing 10 battles on Brawl mode, then beating him in a duel on Chaos Shrine. Doing this also unlocked the latter stage.
    • However, there was also a glitch that could be performed to unlock him earlier, which was done by setting the computer in the player 3 slot to Lloyd and the player playing as Kirby; going to the Tower of Salvation stage, the player must use Inhale on Lloyd and then spit him out, which resulted in Lloyd being trapped in the Star form. The player then must self-destruct until they ran out of stocks, and then would be able to fight and unlock Black Mage.
  • Black Mage, along with Falco, Lucario, Marth, Isaac, Sonic, and Mega Man are the only characters so far who wear their default costumes in Team Battle when they are on the blue team.
  • Black Mage and Mega Man are the only characters so far whose normal attacks act as projectiles. In Black Mage's case, his fully charged forward smash.
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