Way back in 2014 – when Super Smash Bros. 4 was still new – Villager was one of the very first Figure Players available for players to purchase and train. At the time, the concept of an Animal Crossing fighter in Smash Bros. was much more appealing than it is now, so the character received a good amount of representation early on. Their tournament entry count has unfortunately tanked in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but Villager still has a few dedicated trainers who have been working hard to keep their ranking afloat. If you’d like to learn more about Villager’s metagame history, have a look at their corresponding wiki page. Otherwise, let’s jump right into today’s training!
Special thanks to fammydamammy and Zoom for contributing Villager’s training information!
Spirits
If you’re looking to equip your Villager amiibo with a Spirit team, look no further — we’ve got all the setups you need in a handy list right here! As a reminder, most of the tournaments that take place in our community are vanilla – which means they don’t allow Spirits – so keep that in mind if you’re having trouble deciding whether or not to beef up your FP. Here’s a complete list of Villager’s optimal builds:
- Banned bonuses: Villager pairs well with Armor Knight plus Trade-Off Ability ↑. This setup’s raw firepower is nearly impossible to beat — its user enjoys 1.15x attack power, 1.8x defense, and even more stat boosts thanks to Trade-Off Ability ↑. Villager is heavier than you think, so its 30% damage penalty doesn’t pose much of a threat to their survival.
- Tournament-legal bonuses: If you’d rather not use Armor Knight, Villager can make use of any combination of the following Spirit effects: Weapon Attack ↑, Air Defense ↑, Critical-Health Stats ↑, and Critical Healing & Metal. Feel free to mix and match these four bonuses however you like!
- Raid Boss bonuses: Great Autoheal is almost always a good option on a Raid Boss, and this truth extends to Villager as well. You could also select any of the Support skills listed above; if you’d rather not do that, you could use a setup including Weapon Attack ↑, Move Speed ↑, and either Air Defense ↑ or Landing Lag ↓.
Regarding stat distribution, any spread works for Villager. For the best possible results, you might want to choose a balanced build (2100 / 2100), but you’re welcome to invest more into attack or defense depending on the kind of FP you want to raise. Would you rather it hit harder or take less damage? For more information, check out our full Spirits guide.
Competitive Training
Compared to other fighters, Villager doesn’t use many of their smash attacks. Its AI can’t even drop its bowling ball off the edge: instead, it uses the attack too far away in such a manner that the projectile fails to drop off-stage. Still, they’ve got a wide variety of tools at their disposal and these should all be prioritized. Here’s what an optimal Villager FP’s moveset includes:
- From a distance, you can fire off a Lloid Rocket to approach and rack on damage. You could also use a dash attack in this instance and then combo it into a forward air. When you wind up directly next to your FP, you can smack it with a forward tilt.
- Villager’s bug net might be slow, but their throws are fantastic! Down throw combos into forward air, up throw can set off an up air juggle, and back throw can KO at high percentages. Use plenty of grabs during your training sessions!
- Smashville’s mayor also has a great edgeguarding game. When your FP is knocked off-stage, chase it and then attack with down air, forward air, and back air — a balance of the three, in descending order of priority.
- When your FP is launched upward, you can repeatedly intercept its landing with up airs. Up smash is an excellent anti-air tool that should be mixed in as well; its horizontal range is a bit lacking but its launch power is respectably high! At lower percentages, up smash can combo into an chain of up airs.
Ideally, an optimal Villager would employ a healthy mix of parrying and regular shielding — with a slightly higher emphasis placed in the case of the latter. There aren’t many specific attacks to avoid using (besides neutral air, which is easily spammed if left unchecked), but as long as you stick to the ones listed above you’ll be good to go. If you’d like to learn even more about amiibo training, please refer to our general guide!
Raid Boss Training
We’ve got a very important word of advice to offer Raid Boss trainers looking to raise Villager: pick a different character. Please. This fighter’s artificial intelligence is incapable of placing its projectiles (Lloid Rocket and Timber) to control the stage, so they’re forced to rely on close combat — which is not Villager’s forte. We’ve included a moveset that seems suboptimal, but it’s about the best you can hope for on a Raid Boss Villager:
- Villager’s best (and only) neutral tools include forward tilt, neutral attack, and grab — but mostly the latter. Down throw can link into a forward air, up throw can start a chain of up air juggling, and then back throw can KO at high percentages.
- Up air, up tilt, and up smash are all decent juggling tools — up air most of all. You can also use an equal number of neutral airs and down airs to secure a safe landing when you’re launched upward.
- Forward air and back air should be used from a distance for approaching and general air combat, while down tilt works well as a surprise kill move. Add in a sprinkle of down smash as well, and when your opponent is buried you can follow up with a forward smash.
There are plenty of moves that Villager shouldn’t use. Steer clear of Pocket, Timber, and forward smash at the ledge. As mentioned earlier, the character’s AI isn’t consistent with its bowling ball, and often uses the attack too far away from the edge. If you’re thinking of a move that wasn’t mentioned in this guide, it’s because it’s neither strong nor weak enough to be worth covering. Thanks for understanding!
Wrap-Up
There’s no doubt about it — Villager’s a tricky one. Their options are solid, but punishable if missed, which makes recommending moves tough. Even so, if you use each of the attacks listed above as intended, you’ll be starting off on the right track! If you’d like to ask a training-related question, you’re welcome to join our Discord server anytime. Those looking to enter competitive tournaments can learn how via our guide! We’ve also got a Patreon and a donation box if you would like to help support the site. Until next time — happy training!
If you would like to read more amiibo training guides, please follow this link.
